Captivity
by Nicole4211
Summary: [Collab with LeosLady4ever] Forced into captivity, Lucy and Lyon struggle to survive, desperately seeking a way of escape while fighting to keep their hope alive. Alone, with only each other to turn to, the lines blur...
1. Chapter 1

**Leoslady here with the first chapter of the afore mentioned collaboration with Nicole4211! We're so excited about this fanfic, and we think you will be too. Without further ado, we present you with our newest tale, and trust me when I say it is unlike anything we've done before.**

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><p><span><strong>Captivity <strong>

**By: _LeosLady4ever & Nicole4211_**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 1: Festival of Ice<strong>

The festival was in full swing as Lucy's group made their way to the center of Hargeon, venders out selling their wares and every extra inch of the town decked with brilliant ice and snow sculptures. It was stunning to say the least, leaving Lucy, as the only one who hadn't attended the Snow Festival before, not knowing which way to turn. There was just so much to see, so much to take in.

Being the only one to live in the town, Lyon offered to play the part of tour guide for the visiting mages, promising to take them to all the best spots in town. Of course, their first stop was to be his and Gray's own contribution to the Snow Festival, an epic masterpiece of ice that Lyon felt incredibly proud of. And if that beaming smile on Gray's face was anything to go by, it was the same for him. As the most well-known ice mages in all of Fiore, they'd been commissioned along with Blue Pegasus' own Eve Team by the town to create the massive sculpture, and Lyon had been more than a little pleased to hear the mayor call it the cornerstone of the entire celebration.

Lucy and Erza seemed excited about seeing their accomplishment, both congratulating him and Gray on a job well done. It had boosted his ego to hear them going on about the whole thing, and he found himself flushing with pride. And really why shouldn't he be happy with how things had turned out? They'd worked hard on it, and getting the mayor's seal of approval was quite an honor.

Natsu however, wasn't so easily impressed. To his mind, there were far more important things to do than see an ice sculpture. "Come on guys! Do we have to go there first? I'm hungry!"

"Natsu, they worked really hard on this," Lucy scolded, and seeing Natsu stop in the middle of the street, reached back to pull him forward. "You can eat in a few minutes."

"But Luce...I'm dying here!" Natsu whined, and it was immediately followed up by an "Aye sir!" from Happy. The two offered her a pout, their lips tugging down in an appeal to her softer side.

But Lucy had tons of experience dealing with the two of them. They had pulled this on her one too many times, and she had learned her lesson. Rolling her eyes at their matching pitiful expressions, she snorted. "Yeah, I can see you're both wasting away there."

"Hey!" Natsu yelled, casting her an offended look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gray snickered at his rival, clearly enjoying the whole thing. "She talking about that extra weight you're putting on."

"That's muscle, Frosty Cock! Something you wouldn't know anything about!"

Gray snorted. "You wish, Fire Fuck! You've clearly got a pudge going on!"

"Why you little..." Natsu growled, throwing a flaming arm back with the full intention of hitting Gray in the face, but a sudden flash had him pausing in place.

Slowly, his head turned around, and he blanched as he realized that Erza had requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. Her face hardened, and she glared at the two men in her team, pulling a squawk of terror from Natsu as he threw his arm around Gray's shoulder.

"We're not fighting, Erza! See?"

Gray nodded shakily, wrapping his own arm around Natsu's back. "Yeah, we're best friends!"

Lucy quivered with barely repressed laughter from her spot beside Lyon, who was looking on in confusion. The sight was so common for her that she thought nothing of it anymore, but seeing it with Lyon for the first time, she could imagine how odd it must seem.

"That's much better," Erza declared, flashing out of her armor and into a cute, feminine looking outfit. "Now, I have somewhere to be..."

Lucy blinked at her redheaded friend in shock. "But Erza...what about the sculpture? I thought we were all going to see it together."

"Yes, I know," she muttered, tossing a frown at their male team mates. "But those two idiots have eaten up the rest of my time. And Jel-" She paused, her face flushing a pretty pink. "I-I mean someone is waiting for me."

Lucy knew at once who Erza was talking about, and she smiled. She was happy to hear that her friend was finally getting in some time with Jellal. She wasn't about to speculate about what the two of them intended to do with that time, though if it was her...

She shook her head at her thoughts, and then waved Erza off. "Go on...have a good time."

"Yeah, with your booty call!" Natsu laughed and then yelped as Erza leapt at him. "Happy!"

The little Exceed took to the air immediately, grabbing onto the fire mage and lifting him out of Erza's reach, just barely saving him from her vicious attack. Natsu whooped in victory as they sailed away, but Lucy knew he'd only escaped because Erza wanted to see Jellal more than she wanted to whip the fire mage's ass. His win was going to be very short-lived.

He'd best live it up now, because come tonight, he was going to be very very sorry. She giggled at the thought and turned back to the other woman in their group. "Ignore him, Erza. Just go enjoy yourself."

Behind her, Gray stifled a laugh, choking the sound into a cough at the last minute, and it was all Lucy could do keep her own amusement at bay. Erza however was too preoccupied to notice as she walked off toward wherever it was she was meeting Jellal, leaving Lucy and Gray to hold themselves together until she was out of earshot.

The instant she disappeared, their hard-fought smiles cracked, and the two friends burst out laughing.

"Oh my God! That was hilarious!" Lucy howled, tears springing to her eyes.

"Did you see her face when Natsu said it was a booty call?!" Gray doubled over, clutching his stomach as he choked out, "She's gonna kill him!"

Lyon watched them both in silence, his lips twitching just a bit at their exuberance. He could see they were a close group, able to tease and pick on one another without it interfering with the dynamic of their team. He did wonder about this mysterious person Erza was meeting with. Did the mighty Titania have a secret lover?

The silver-haired man found himself curious about this strange group of Gray's. He knew each of them only marginally from fighting beside them against the Oracion Seis and the time he'd spent with them at the Grand Magic Games. And while he considered them all friends, he realized there was still so much he hadn't discovered yet. Maybe it was time to change that.

Seeing the arching of Lyon's eyebrow, Lucy struggled to pull herself together. She felt like her team was always causing a scene, and she hadn't intended for that to happen in front of Lyon. Though, now that she thought about it, she probably should have expected such a thing. They couldn't seem to go anywhere without acting like a bunch of lunatics.

Sighing in acceptance, Lucy coughed and was just about to suggest they move on when a loud cry caught their attention.

"Gray-sama!"

Instantly, Gray's mirth fell away, and a look of horror crossed his face as he realized that Juvia was barreling right at him with no intention of stopping. With an undignified shriek, he took off running, glancing back every now and then to see just how much ground Juvia had covered.

"Oh jeez..." Lucy pressed a hand to her forehead, then decided to shrug it off. "I suppose I should have seen that coming."

She glanced up at the last member of the group still with her, expecting to see a frown on his face, some sign that he was bothered by the spectacle they'd just seen, but there was nothing. His expression was calm, if not slightly amused. And then she remembered what Gray had told her about his conversation with Lyon. They'd both been frank with Juvia, Gray saying he wasn't interested and Lyon deciding to abandon his pursuit of her. Obviously, he had kept to his choice, and she was happy to see that Juvia's obsession with Gray no longer bothered him. He'd moved on, just like he'd wanted to.

A smile lit her face, and she angled her head in the direction they'd been going before things had gone off course. "Well, I guess it's just us. Want to show me what you and Gray have been working on?"

Lyon tipped his head down at the blonde woman and smiled. At least one person was still interested in seeing his work. "Sure."

The two started moving again, and before long Lucy began talking, her voice laced with equal parts amusement and chagrin. "I feel like I should apologize for them. We don't really make the best impressions."

A laugh burst from his mouth at her understatement. "It's okay. I figured it would get a little crazy."

And he had. The moment he'd learned that Gray and he would be working together again, he'd suspected it would most likely end in disaster. The two of them had never really been able to be around each other for too long without it turning into a competition of sorts. However, Gray had surprised him. Or rather, they'd both surprised him. Somehow, they'd managed to make the entire sculpture, literally hours of work without even once getting into an argument. It had to be some kind of record, he was sure.

Still, knowing Team Natsu was coming into town, he'd been fairly sure things would go awry. It seemed that was always the case with them. They were from Fairy Tail, after all, and from all accounts, they were all a little nuts.

Beside him, Lucy sighed laboriously. "How sad is it that people always equate us with insanity? I swear I'm a normal girl!"

Lyon could see she wasn't offended. She'd obviously had a lot of experience being lumped in with the rest of her team as being just as wild, but from what he'd seen of her so far, she didn't deserve it. She hadn't done anything to suggest she was anything other than what she said she was...normal. Though, she had to be at least a little crazy to willingly join a team like hers, right?

The thought had him chuckling, and Lucy peered up at him suspiciously. "What are you thinking?"

Lyon burst out laughing at her observant question. "Nothing bad, I assure you."

The blonde pursed her lips in consideration, then folded her arms across her chest. "Now, why don't I believe that?"

Lucy fought to keep her face straight as Lyon once again laughed and shook his head. She'd worried things would be a bit awkward with just the two of them, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn't the case. She was thoroughly enjoying her conversation with him. He was nowhere near as serious as she'd expected him to be.

He was actually a lot of fun, and before she could zip her lips, she was telling him that. "You know...you're a lot of fun." She bit her lip in consternation as he glanced down at her with a question in his eyes. "I don't mean to sound so surprised."

"Might want to work on that a little more," he mused, his interest piqued at the quick flush of her cheeks.

"Sorry," she apologized, wincing up at him in chagrin. "I guess I thought you'd be a little on the serious side."

Lyon shook his head in amusement and teased, "Who says I'm not?"

The Fairy Tail mage opened her mouth to respond, then snapped her mouth closed. She paused in place, causing Lyon to move several steps ahead, and then she called out. "You're messing with me, aren't you?"

The ice mage chuckled as he turned back to look at her, and was just about to answer when a soft whirring sound shot past him. He watched as Lucy's eyes went wide, and then her face went lax and she dropped.

"Lucy!" He started toward her, but came to an abrupt halt as a man stepped out of the shadows to stand over her prone body.

The masked man glanced down at her, then turned his attention back to Lyon. "You have two choices here. Come willingly, and no harm will come to her. Or do this the hard way and risk her getting killed."

Lyon growled as the creep surreptitiously drew out a knife, keeping it out of sight of the few people that scuttled down the road behind them as he knelt to the ground beside the blonde. The man had chosen a perfect place and time to attack. It was just turning dusk, and this quiet side of town had yet to install any street lamps.

But even if others had been able to see what was going on, it could only make things worse. He couldn't imagine what this man would do if anyone else interfered. Someone could get hurt or killed, and he didn't want that. He was sure Lucy would feel the same way.

But that meant he was on his own. Somehow he had to get the attacker away from Lucy. He wasn't sure what she'd been hit with, but it was obviously some sort of paralytic, though whether it had already knocked her out, he had no idea.

In the end, it made no difference. He wasn't about to follow along blindly, like some lamb to the slaughter. He knew the moment they were out of public view, there was no telling where they'd be taken or what would be done to them. He couldn't let that happen. With Lucy's team gone, he was all that stood between her and whatever this bastard wanted with her.

Taking a fighting stance, he quickly set a fist over his open palm. "If you think you're taking her without a fight, you're crazy as hell."

He didn't wait for an answer. He called out his attack and sent a blast of ice straight at the man's head. His aim was true, smacking the criminal back several feet and knocking him out cold. Lyon wasted no time and shot forward towards Lucy, scooping her up in his arms and fleeing in the direction they'd come.

Some time ago, Lyon had worked it all out and realized that the vile man could never have hit Lucy with that dart and gotten down to her so quickly. There had to be another one, and that meant they still weren't safe.

No sooner did the thought occur to him when he felt something zing into the back of his neck. He stumbled as a tingly sensation swept out from the site, and then his knees buckled. He watched in horror as Lucy's body tumbled out of his arms and then he came down on top of her. He tried to catch himself, but his arms wouldn't cooperate. Nothing would.

He was frozen, ironically, horribly frozen, and he had doomed them both. He had no idea what would happen to them, no clue who was trying to take them, and it scared the hell out of him.

He'd never felt so useless, and it sent a wave of fury through his body. There was nothing he could do, no way he could save them. He was impotent, wholly and completely pathetic with this drug running through his veins. And before long, he knew it would take him.

He lay there for several seconds as his mouth fought to call out for help, and then he heard it, the sound of footsteps crunching over the snow. And then everything went dark.

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><p><strong>We hope you enjoyed! Let us know what you think :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all! Leoslady and I would like to thank everyone who has left a review so far on this story. We are very excited for this and we hope that you are as well. Lyon and Lucy have become our little obsession lately and this is the result.**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 2: <strong>**Siphoning**

Lucy groaned, trying to blink her eyes open but hissing as the light felt like a laser slicing straight into her brain. Her head was throbbing; the pain so intense that her stomach became queasy and she felt hot saliva building up in her mouth, signaling what was inevitably going to come. She quickly rose to her knees, reaching for the closest thing she could find and promptly released the contents of her stomach straight into the metal bucket.

When it was over, she let her head fall back and swiped a hand over her mouth, waiting for the roiling in her insides to calm down before she opened her eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She was in a square cell, rock hard walls surrounding her and iron bars lining the front. The roof was the same stone as the ground and as she looked down, she gasped, finding a body lying motionless just a few feet away.

"Lyon!" she exclaimed, sliding beside him and reaching for his shoulder. He was lying on his stomach, one arm crooked over his head while the other was flung out wide from his body.

She carefully rolled him over, guiding his head with one hand to make sure she didn't hurt him till he was lying on his back. "Lyon," she whispered quietly, anxious about their surroundings.

A soft moan slipped from his lips and Lucy sighed in relief when he cracked an eye open and looked up at her. "Are you ok?" he asked, swallowing and then wincing.

Lucy knew what was coming and quickly grabbed the bucket, sliding it beside his face just in time before he too, emptied his stomach. When he was done, he sat up and rubbed a hand through his hair, his face slightly pale. "Where are we?" he asked, taking deep breaths to calm his unsettled stomach.

"I don't know. I don't remember much of anything except being shot by something and then just… blackness," she answered, curling her legs beneath her and reaching for her keys at her hips. "My keys!" she cried, looking down frantically and finding nothing there. "My keys are gone."

That's when she also noticed her clothing was different. She was no longer wearing her normal clothes but instead she wore a faded blue top with no sleeves that hung loosely down to her waist and a matching pair of shorts. Her skin crawled at the prospect of what that meant. Someone had undressed her. Someone had seen her naked. She felt violated and dirty, her hands automatically rising to cover her breasts without thought.

"These shackles," Lyon said, trying to yank a pair of matching thick metal bracelets off his wrists, "they must be sealing my magic. I can't do anything."

Lucy turned her attention to the silver haired mage, noticing for the first time the identical outfit to hers he was wearing. Even their shoes had been taken.

"Who did this?" Lucy asked, feeling a chill work its way through her body. The place was quiet, almost too quiet. Beyond the bars she could see little; just an empty cell across the way similar to theirs and then nothing but rock wall on either side.

Lyon took a deep breath, seeming to be trying to calm his stomach and then crawled towards the front of the cell. "I was only able to see one man before I passed out as well from whatever it was they shot us with. I'm guessing there were several though since they were somehow able to get both of us out of the festival without anyone noticing."

Lucy crept up next to him, grasping the cold bars and gazing between them at their surroundings. There wasn't a soul in sight, just more endless rock wall and then darkness which made a feeling of unease creep through her body.

"Where do you think we are?" she asked, turning towards him slightly.

"I don't know. It seems like some sort of cavern or cave or… I don't know. Someplace underground I'm guessing," he answered and then tugged on the bars. They didn't budge at all and he sighed before sitting back, folding his legs beneath him.

An unsettling feeling grew in the pit of Lucy's stomach, making her nervously fidget with the hem of her shirt as she sat there. Before she'd gotten shot, she'd seen nothing. The prick of pain had completely caught her off-guard and before she'd been able to even react, her body had seized and everything had gone black. There hadn't even been enough time to call out to anyone, not even to alert Lyon, who'd been right there beside her. All that she'd remembered in those last dark moments had been the terrifying realization that something was horribly wrong.

And now, looking back, that fear seemed to be all too justified as she sat there, waiting for Mavis knew what to happen.

She looked back up at Lyon and for the first time noticed a trail of blood dripping down the side of his face. "Lyon! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, sitting up on her knees and moving in front of him. She reached her hands out and gently grasped the sides of his face, lightly prodding the area where the blood started just above his hairline over his forehead. "Does it hurt?" she asked, gingerly touching the area.

Lyon shook his head and slowly turned his face up to hers. "It's alright. Just stings a little," he answered and wiped the side of his face, smearing the blood.

"Here, let me do that," Lucy offered and grabbed the side of her shirt and began cleaning his face off with it.

"Well well. I see you two have finally woken up," a deep voice cut in, steady steps echoing down the hallway to their cell.

Both Lucy and Lyon tensed, their hands falling to their sides.

"I've waited a long time to get a hold of you, Ms. Heartfilia."

Lucy's eyes widened at the mention of her name and she scanned the area that the voice was coming from, straining to see through the darkness till a pair of light colored pants stepped out into the open. "Who are you?" she asked, not recognizing the man as he approached.

"My name is Raeden. And please, allow me to answer your next question. The place we are in right now is called The Devil's Den, far beneath the surface of Earthland."

Lucy watched the man silently, her eyes sweeping up his form. He was, undoubtedly, a very handsome man with light blonde hair and piercing violet eyes. His lean muscular body was on the taller side, clad in white linen slacks, a violet shirt that matched his eyes perfectly and a white linen vest fitted snugly to his form. He strode easily towards them, stopping once he reached the front of their cell and shoved his hands inside his pants pockets.

"What do you want with us?" Lyon asked, edging his body closer to the front of the cell.

"With you... well, to be honest, you were just a bonus, a side-effect of kidnapping her, if you will. It was Ms. Heartfilia here that I was really after," he said, his voice perfectly clipped and cultured. "But I certainly don't mind letting you join in on the fun."

Lyon's eyes narrowed and the man laughed, the sound rich and deep.

"Why do you want me?" Lucy asked, her anger simmering just beneath the surface of her calm.

"Ahh and finally we get to the all important question. Why do I want you?" he asked, removing his hands from his pockets and stepping backwards. "Let me take a moment and tell you a tale first." He leaned against the cell bars behind him and crossed his arms casually over his chest. "Once there was a small boy who loved his father dearly. He would do anything for him, anything and everything. But his father was a busy man who didn't have much time for his only son and that made the boy very sad.

"One day, his father asked him to do something for him, something that was exciting and would make it so the boy would be able to spend lots and lots of time with his father. But the task turned out to be impossible. Or at least impossible for the small boy who had no magical power and knew nothing of the world of magic. But his father did, and he expected his only son to have the same powers as him.

"For weeks and weeks the boy practiced… day and night, night and day, to do what his father wished. But no matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't use magic. The ability was beyond him.

"When his father came to him one day and asked him to join him on a mission, the boy pretended that he could use magic and left with him, thrilled to finally be on an adventure with his beloved father. But when the mission started and it became time to use his magic, the boy failed once again and," Raeden sighed long and heavily, "To make a long story short, his father died, leaving the boy alone and frightened in the harsh world."

Lucy listened to the man's story, trying to rationalize what he was actually trying to say. Obviously he was referring to himself as the young boy and his own father who apparently was a mage and didn't treat his son very well. But what did that have to do with them? Why had he kidnapped them?

The man's face abruptly changed, the sadness disappearing in a blink and was instantly replaced by a mask of cold indignation. His beautiful eyes narrowed, his lips thinning out. "And now for the reason you are here," he said, looking directly at Lucy.

A shiver went up her spine and she struggled against the urge to shuffle back a few steps in the cell. There was something so menacing about that stare, something so unnerving that she felt it in the deepest part of herself. He was an extremely handsome man. There was no doubt about that. But there was a wickedness hidden deeply inside of him. Something that set your skin crawling and made you feel like the room was suddenly 20 degrees colder.

Raeden straightened from the wall behind him, his hands slipping inside his pockets. "With your ability, I believe I can transfer the magic power out of your body, and into my own."

Lucy's eyes went wide in disbelief. He wanted to what? Vaguely she could hear Lyon moving beside her, his body angling partially in front of hers.

"You won't touch her," the ice mage said, his voice coming out low and threatening as he moved further in front of her.

"Oh I surely won't. You don't have to worry about that. But," Raeden said and then glanced to the side as a shuffling sound started down the hallway, getting closer and closer till a short man with long, greasy black hair which hung in strands over his eyes came to the front of the cell. He had a sickening sneer on his face and what was left of his remaining stained teeth were crooked and jagged. "My friend here will be taking care of that."

The creepy hunched man smiled widely and crept closer to the cell bars. His eyes were an odd shade of blue, so light that they were nearly milky white as they snaked crudely up and down Lucy's body.

"You'll have to excuse him. He's a mute so will be unable to chat with you as I am but do not worry, he takes his job very seriously," Raeden said and then took a step closer to the cell. "And as for you, Ice Prince. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with you and your abilities."

With that, the man turned and began walking away, leaving the dark haired man standing alone in front of the cell. "Vane! Prepare her," Raeden called out before the sound of a large door banging closed echoed down the hall.

The short man's body shook with laughter and Lucy stood quickly to her feet and moved to the back corner of the cell. The man shoved a bronze key inside the iron door and after turning it, the bars slowly started to creek open.

Lyon stood to his feet and moved in front of Lucy, shielding her from the man who began reaching towards his side and grabbed a long, thin bar from one of the loops on his belt. "I won't let you lay a hand on her," Lyon said, his eyes warily watching the black rod that the man was now lifting towards them.

Vane took a step closer, aiming the rod at Lyon who retreated a step, moving Lucy with him till she was pressed against the back of the cell with his body directly in front of her.

Suddenly sparks shot out of the rod, crackling like lightning as the man shoved the object into Lyon's gut. The ice mage let out a shout of pain and clutched his middle as his shout turned into a low groan.

The man stepped closer, the same sinister smile stretching over his face as he shoved the stick towards Lyon once again. This time though, Lyon leapt to the side at the last second and then leapt forward, tackling the man. Both went tumbling to the floor in a heap of limbs and before Lucy was able to react, another voice cut through the cell walls. "Dammit Vane! You can never do anything right," it said and a slightly larger man appeared, wielding the same rod in his outstretched hand.

Lucy knew with a sinking feeling that this was it, that whatever these people had planned for them was going to come to fruition unless she acted right this instant so she dove forward, her arms outstretched as they sought to grab the man around his waist.

Something drove into her side and then pain lanced through her body like a spark zipping through every vein. Her body seized, her muscles stiffened and then she collapsed on the floor, twitching convulsively. Strong arms slid beneath her body before she was able to move and then a dark cloth was tied around her head, leaving her completely blind as she struggled against the hands that were grabbing her and lifting her into the air.

"Would you fuckin' sit still?!" the voice complained and then a heavy fist bashed the side of her face and she passed out into a void of darkness.

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><p>Lyon screamed as the door banged closed, helpless as he lay on the hard ground in agonizing pain. He'd been able to get the man to the ground but he'd immediately been shocked once again by the strange weapon. This time the pain had incapacitated his body and had made him spasm uncontrollably. He'd never felt such pain before. The feeling was almost like being struck by lightning, as if the electricity was scratching its way through every ligament and every muscle, all the way to the bone.<p>

"Lucy!" He hollered seconds later when his limbs started to return to normal, stumbling to the iron bars and grasping them tightly in his hands. "LUCY!"

Another door banged closed down the long hallway and then there was nothing, nothing but encompassing silence...

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><p>Lucy blinked back into awareness, momentarily blinded by the bright lights above her. <em>Where was she<em>, she wondered as her vision cleared, her back lying above something hard and cool.

"Welcome back," a familiar voice greeted, moving to hover above as he looked down at her with his violet eyes. "You're just in time."

Lucy's body instantly tensed, her hands fisting as she went to sit up but found herself unable to move. In a panic, she swiveled her head from side to side, finding strips of leather binding her arms, torso and legs to a table she was lying over. She struggled against the bonds, her breaths becoming harsh and erratic. What was happening? Where was she? "Wh- what are you doing?" she asked desperately, hating the fear she heard in her own voice.

"Oh, come now. I'm sure you've figured it out by now. I've been led to believe that you were on the more intelligent side for a mage," Raeden said as he slowly wandered around the side of the table.

Lucy followed him with her eyes, gulping when he stopped on the opposite side right beside her head. "Please, don't do this," she pleaded, frustration making tears gather beneath her eyes. He was right, to a certain extent. She had an idea of what he was going to do but _how_ was completely beyond her. How was she supposed to transfer her magic to another human being? It wasn't possible. The connection she shared with her spirits was, to her, as natural as breathing. It wasn't something she'd had to learn and it wasn't something she'd had to train to figure out. It had just been a part of her. Plus, they were spirits, magical entities that lived in their own magic world. It was _them _that took the magic from her. She had no idea how to transfer the magic to a human.

"Now then," Raeden said, taking a quick breath as he snapped his gaze from Lucy. "Vane here is going to get you all hooked up," he turned to leave but hesitated a moment before he took a step and turned back to Lucy. "Oh, and one last thing. Try not to fight too hard. It will only cause you more pain."

Lucy's eyes widened and before she was able to utter a word, the most horrific sound that had ever passed her lips exploded from her mouth.

**To be continued...**

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><p><strong>Let us know what you think so far :)<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

_Ahhh...my LyLu obsession lives on! lol I'm loving this story so much, and of course working with_**_Nicole4211_**_is always a treat. She's the best in the west, the east, and all over the damn place! So, without further ado, we give you chapter 3..._

_She's crazy…_

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 3: Comfort<span>**

Lyon stood with his forehead pressed against the bars, waiting for the next scream to rent the air. It was sadistic, revolting even, but it was the only way he had of knowing Lucy was alive, that she was still fighting them in whatever way she could.

A wince marred his face as another agonized howl echoed down the hall, and with a bellow of anger, he slammed his hands against the bars. It was a futile effort, one that did nothing but suck away his remaining energy, but he couldn't stop. He was so angry, so damn furious that this was happening, he could barely breath.

They'd taken Lucy away and were even now doing who knew what to her, and he was stuck here like some goddamned coward. His magic was gone. It was like it had never even been there, and no matter how many times he tried to draw it out, nothing worked. It felt like the ice inside of him had been sucked out, stolen away like a thief with a precious gem, and it left him feeling empty and desolate inside.

In this moment, he knew what it was to be a non-magical being, and he hated it. The sensation of weakness, the absence of that coiling energy swirling around in his body. He felt wrong. He was meant to be an ice mage, meant to be strong and powerful enough to save his friends, and this lack was too much for him.

Frustration built inside him as he heard Lucy cry out again, her voice cracking with strain. God, he'd never heard such horrific sounds in his life, and not knowing what they were doing to her was killing him. He felt trapped, not just by this godforsaken cage they'd dropped him into, but also by the fact that there was nothing he could do to save her. He'd never felt so damn weak in his life. Not even as a child had he experienced such impotence.

"Lucy!" The word burst from his mouth in a fit of fear. The strength of her cries were dimming, sending worry churning in his gut. Surely they wouldn't kill her. They needed her for their disgusting plan, didn't they?

But those assurances did nothing to calm his nerves. He had never been good at patience, and this waiting around to know if she lived or died was more than he could take.

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" he shouted again, smashing his fists against the bars as bitter tears gathered in his eyes. Why were they doing this? From everything he'd seen and heard of Lucy, she was as innocent as they came. She wasn't the type to harm others, and God knew she didn't deserved what they were doing to her back there.

All at once, he realized that it had grown quiet. There were no screams, no pleading for it to stop, nothing. In fact, there was such a distinct lack of sound that Lyon became even more fearful. What if they'd gone too far? Had they killed her while he'd been locked away in this cell with his thumb up his ass?

His jaw tensed as he waited for her voice. He just needed some sign that she was alive, but there was nothing until the high-pitched squeal of the door sounded down the hall. His heart in his throat, he pressed his face to the bars, trying to see what was coming.

"Lucy?!"

"Pipe down in there, asshole!" a man called back, and then he appeared, the same man who'd carried Lucy off before, and in his arms she lay.

"Oh God..."

Her body was limp and unmoving, and for one stark moment, he thought she was dead. The air froze in his lungs, his heart stuttering in his chest.

Then the man shifted her in his hold, and she whimpered. It was a soft sound, hardly more than a whisper, but it was just enough to let Lyon know that she was still there. A heavy sigh exited his mouth, relief making his shoulders slump until he remembered her howls of agony.

Fire burst in his belly, and he launched himself at the bars separating him from the man that carried Lucy's frail form. "What the fuck did you do to her, you sick bastard?!"

"I told you to shut up! Now, get your ass over there," the man directed, pointing to the opposite wall with the weapon they'd used before. Likely seeing the defiance in Lyon's eyes, he lifted that black rod to Lucy's side. "Get the fuck over there unless you want me to shock her again."

Lyon fought with himself. He knew their only chance of escape was getting through these bars and taking that weapon, but on the other hand, he couldn't let him hurt Lucy any further. With a curse of regret, he backed away from the door, keeping his eyes on the burly man. He watched as the bastard hefted her up and over his shoulder, and hearing the faint gasp of pain from Lucy, he clenched his fists. "You're hurting her!"

Wholly unconcerned with Lyon's accusation, the man grunted, then pushed the door open and dropped her unceremoniously on the floor before stepping back through the entrance and locking them in once more. He spared them not even a passing glance further as he strolled back down the hall and left them in silence.

Lyon rushed towards the crumpled heap at the edge of the room, his throat thick with emotion as he noticed the blood staining the back of her shirt. "Oh God..." he croaked. "What did they do to you?"

He gathered her up gently in his arms, fighting the wetness in his eyes at the pained sound she made, and carried her over to the small pallet in the corner. He laid her out on her stomach, careful to keep from jostling her too much. He eyed the red marks on her shirt and grimaced. "I need to look at your back."

A pitiful sob drifted up from her trembling form, and before he could even reach for her shirt, he felt her hand reach out and latch onto his, her fingers gripping tightly. His throat closed up at the depth of desperation in her touch, and he swallowed hard until he could say, "I'm here."

* * *

><p>Lucy woke with a scream lodged in her throat, her body coated in sweat and shaking with barely restrained terror. She closed her eyes and fought to calm herself, but her mind was still locked onto what had happened to her hours earlier in that other room.<p>

She could still see the bright lights overhead, hear the voices talking around her like she wasn't screaming in agony right beside. She could still hear the whirr of the machine and feel those spike-like things piercing her back. Her lip trembled as she laid there facing the door of their cell, and she bit down into the soft flesh to keep a sob from sneaking out.

"Lucy?" a quiet voice called out from behind her, and then a hand came down gently on her shoulder.

Taking a shuddering breath, she pulled herself back together, trying to push everything back long enough to talk to Lyon. She could hear the question in his voice. He wanted to know if she was okay, and the truth was she just didn't know. It was like everything was a fog, a scary painful fog that she couldn't escape. She didn't even have the luxury of forgetting what they'd done because her mind cruelly kept going back to it.

Logically, she knew she was no longer in that room, but that didn't seem to matter. She could remember every second of the torment they put her through, every ounce of suffering they'd exacted on her body, and this was just the beginning. She knew more would come, and when it did, she would be left feeling as she did now; broken and sore, and no relief in sight.

But perhaps the worst of it was that there was nowhere to hide. They had used her body, abused her in the name of their experiments, and there was no place for her to hide away to lick her wounds. Everywhere she looked, she was exposed, open to their view at all times. And there was no way she could go back to sleep like that.

"Lucy..." he called again, his voice sounding more concerned than before.

She took a deep breath and decided there was no point worrying him any further. "I'm fine."

It was quiet for a moment, so quiet she thought perhaps that he'd believed her lie and fallen asleep, but when he spoke again, she knew she'd been wrong.

"No, you're not." His tone, though soft, brooked no argument, and she felt her resolve weaken.

She wanted to be strong, wanted to pretend she could handle all this, but there was a part of her, a big part that ached to lie there in that cell and just cry her eyes out. It was stupid and pathetic, but there it was. She was so tired. Why was it always her? She was nobody, so why were people always after her?

Lucy bit back a sob, swallowing it back down because she knew if she let out even one tear, the rest would follow. And she didn't want that.

"Lucy...talk to me," he said from his place just behind her. "Is it your back?"

She blinked frantically as her eyes filled. Why had concern always forced her tears? "Yes...no..." She shook her head in frustration, unsure what to say and confused as to why she'd said that much in the first place.

Her answer seemed to confound him, and he leaned over her side to peek at her face in the sparse light that filtered into their cell from the hall. "What do you mean?"

"I can't sleep," she said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them, and before she knew it, everything else was flowing out right behind it. "I don't know why they're doing this, and...and I'm tired and I'm scared of closing my eyes again..."

She could go no further than that because spilling the truth had opened the floodgates and let out all her emotion, and she lay there shaking with the force of her sobs. She felt weak and foolish for her breakdown, but there was no stopping it this time. Now that it had begun, there would no quelling it until it had all come out.

But Lyon didn't berate her for her momentary lapse. He sidled up behind her, easing his body right up next to hers, and draped an arm around her waist. "I don't know why they're doing this to you, and I can't do anything to take away your fear...but I can help you get some sleep."

His warmth sank into her body, easing some of the strain she hadn't even realized was there, and she sniffed. "H-How can you do that?"

"I'll keep watch for you," he said, the deep timbre of his voice going soft as if he was lulling her to sleep. "Just close your eyes. I'll be right here."

Lucy drew in a deep breath and tried to do as he said, closing her eyes and trusting him to watch over her. And strangely enough, she did. This man she scarcely knew was all she had now, and though she was more afraid than she'd ever been before, she was grateful that she wasn't in this alone. Maybe that was selfish, but it was the truth.

Lyon tightened his arm around her, and she found herself dropping off, relying on him to protect her as sleep came and took her away.

* * *

><p>Gray sat alone on a bench in the lobby of the hotel they'd stayed in and dozed, waiting sleepily for his team mates to come downstairs. He was exhausted. He'd spent hours the night before trying to dodge Juvia, but the woman was nothing if not persistent. Every time he'd relaxed, thinking he'd escaped, she'd pop up, her clingy hands frantically grabbing at him, and he'd be off again. It was damn near 2 in the morning by the time he'd lost her and managed to sneak into his hotel room.<p>

Now, he could barely hold his eyes open, and all he could think about was getting home for some much needed rest. If only everyone else would hurry up.

No sooner did the thought cross his mind then a familiar voice called out to him, and he opened his eyes to see Erza moving across the foyer toward him.

"You're already down here." She nodded approvingly, then glanced around for the other members of their team. "I see Natsu, Happy, and Lucy haven't made it down yet."

"Nah, just me." Gray yawned, stretching his arms as he stood. "I hope they hurry. I'm ready to get back."

Erza peered curiously at him. "Long night?"

"You have no idea. How about you? What time did you roll in?" he asked, and nearly laughed when Erza's face flared.

"Um...well, it was a bit late...around 3 actually," she muttered, turning her head aside to stare at the wall as if to hide her embarrassment.

Though she'd said nothing to indicate what she'd done the whole time she'd been gone, Gray could certainly imagine, especially with her blushing like that. It wasn't exactly a secret that she loved Jellal, but the woman acted as if she still needed to hide it. He didn't really get it. After all, they were a team, and none of them begrudged her the relationship with Jellal.

Deciding to take pity on her, he let the information go. "Yeah I didn't get back until 2. Spent the whole damn night running from Juvia."

Erza blinked at him in confusion. "Juvia was here?"

"Yeah, and she chased me all over the damn town. You know, you told me to be open and honest with her about my feelings. So I did, and now she's even crazier than before."

"Ugh...stop your whining, princess. It's too damn early," Natsu grunted as he trudged into the room, with Happy on his shoulder.

Gray growled at the other man's entrance, then noticed that their blonde teammate wasn't behind Natsu. "Lucy didn't come down with you?"

Natsu yawned, then frowned. "She's not down yet?"

"No, and that's strange. She's not usually late," Erza mused, glancing up the stairs as if expecting the girl to suddenly appear. "Maybe we should go check on her."

"I'll go," Natsu mumbled, pulling Happy off and handing him to Erza. "She probably just slept in."

Minutes later, Natsu raced back into the room, his face etched with worry. "She's not there."

"Hmm...maybe she stopped off in the bathroom," Erza suggested, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly.

"No," Natsu clarified, his voice shaking with uncertainty. "She didn't come back to her room last night."

Gray's eyes widened, his thoughts running a mile a minute. She'd been with Lyon when he'd left her the night before, but surely she didn't stay with him. Lucy wasn't the kind of girl that went home with a guy she didn't know that well. Still, it seemed the best place to start. "I left her with Lyon around 7 last night."

"Lyon? You don't think those two..." The requip mage trailed off, her cheeks tinting a light shade of pink.

"No, I don't," Gray answered quickly, then sighed, "But we should probably check it out."

He honestly hoped she hadn't hooked up with Lyon. A relationship started that way could only end in disaster. There was no way to know if the other person was honestly interested in you or if they were just in it for the sex. He'd like to believe that Lyon wouldn't do something like that with Lucy, someone his fellow ice mage knew meant a lot to Gray, but still, it didn't hurt to be cautious.

After all, Lucy had no family outside of Fairy Tail, and Gray took his position as her friend very seriously. And he wasn't the only one. He could see on Natsu's face a reflection of everything he was feeling at the moment. Neither liked this at all.

A half an hour later, they were pushing through the doors of Lamia Scale, drawing the attention of the few mages already present so early in the morning. Among them was Jura, who immediately made his way over. "Gray, I'm glad you stopped by before you left. I was hoping you had seen Lyon."

A chill swept through Gray's body at the tall man's statement, and he shared a tense look with his team mates before asking, "Lyon's missing?"

Jura's brow wrinkled at Gray's wording, but nodded his head. "He was supposed to be here an hour ago for a meeting with the Master, but he didn't show." He paused, his hand reaching up to scratch at his chin. "Come to think of it, he never came by the sculpture last night either. Of course, neither did you."

Gray shook his head, feeling panic skitter up his spine. "I think we have a problem."

"Something's wrong," Natsu agreed, his voice resolute in spite of the unease that crossed his features.

"Have I missed something? Why do you sound so worried?" Jura asked, glancing between the three mages curiously.

"Lucy is missing as well," Erza explained quickly, "The last time any of us saw her was last night...with Lyon."

Jura's face was instantly serious, his eyes narrowing in concern. "I'll go to his house immediately."

The red-haired mage nodded sagely. "We'll go out to the last place we saw them then. See if there's any clues to their whereabouts."

"Maybe Natsu can catch their scents," Gray suggested, glancing over at the fire mage.

The Dragon Slayer grimaced slightly. "Let's get going. I don't want to waste any more time."

They made the trek back through town quickly, agreeing to meet back up with Jura following their respective investigations. The team was silent, a fact that only served to put Gray's nerves more on edge. Their group was never quiet, and it made the situation all the more real and frightening. He knew they were all thinking the same thing, but no one wanted to be the one to voice it.

His gut was screaming at him. Something had happened to them. He could feel it, and it scared the shit out of him. He could only hope that Natsu was able to find something.

They came upon the spot where they'd all separated, and Gray, Erza, and Happy all turned to Natsu as one. "Okay Natsu, do your thing."

It was quiet for a long, tense moment as Natsu drew in a deep breath, then he shook his head. "I can't," he said quietly.

Gray looked over at him in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about? Just...do what you always do. Sniff them out!"

The fire mage lifted his head and his eyes met those of Gray's. "I can't this time," he explained, his voice cracking with emotion. "The rain's washed away their scents."

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all for your reviews. We are excited to see that so many of you are enjoying this. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Lucy screamed as her eyes flew open, her arms and legs flailing as she struggled to get away from the hands that reached for her.

"Lucy! It's ok. You were just dreaming… it was just a dream," a familiar voice said. Gentle hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back, cradling her against a warm, hard body which she sunk gratefully into.

She was still trembling, her arms folding in on herself as flashes of memories floated into her mind; memories of cold clammy hands touching her bare skin, of a leering gaze watching her with a perverse grin as she cried out time and time again from the pain. The images wouldn't stop and a strangled whimper slipped out of Lucy's mouth before she could stop herself.

"Are you hurting?" Lyon whispered behind her, his deep voice edged with genuine concern.

Lucy shook her head. The pain wasn't anywhere near what she'd experienced in the other room. Now there was just the lingering soreness, the pricks of discomfort whenever she moved a certain way. She could handle those ailments easily enough. But the memory… the memory of what had happened earlier tortured her mind, making her body shudder with every passing remembrance.

Lyon flexed his arm and pulled Lucy's body closer, easing her back into the crook of his. Her head lay over his extended arm, using his bicep as a pillow and he could smell traces of her shampoo, a flowery scent that gave him brief moments of peace in the dark and damp cell.

He didn't know what had happened to her, but he didn't need to. After she'd passed out in his arms, he'd eased back from her body and taken a look, needing to know the full extent of injury. Fresh wounds had lined her back, her skin punctured and creating perfect red circles. He hadn't been able to tell how deep the marks had gone but judging from her cries, it had been deep and he felt something boil inside his gut at the memory of those screams. She may not be a guild mate of his, or even a close friend, but he'd never felt so much overwhelming emotion before in his entire life as he did at that moment. He would kill these men, these horrid people who had hurt Lucy. Kill them without a moment's remorse.

Warm liquid started to trickle over his arm and he turned his attention to the woman in front of him, her soft body still shaking slightly. "Lucy?" he whispered, lifting his hand from her side and brushing back a few stray strands of hair from her face. He could tell she was crying, her tears sliding silently over his arm and pooling on the ground beneath. He was amazed by how strong she was, by how stoically she kept the pain to herself. But he could sense the fierce battle that she waged within herself, trying to keep it all inside. He wondered how long she could keep it up.

"I- I'm sorry Lyon," Lucy mumbled brokenly but was immediately quieted.

"Shhh, it's ok. You have nothing to be sorry about," he answered and loosened his grip as she started to move away from him.

Lucy sat up slowly, wincing as her wounded skin stretched and cracked. Lyon's hands were there, helping her to sit up until she was able to ease back against the cool wall.

"T-thank you," she said as she swiped a hand over her face, wiping away the moisture. "Thank you for being…"

"Please," he interrupted, "You don't have to thank me. Are you alright?"

A long sigh slipped between Lucy's lips and she slowly turned her gaze to the man sitting in front of her. "I'll be alright," she said and then asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

Lyon moved and took a seat beside her on the thin pad, resting his arms on his knees just in front of his chest. He stared in front of them, seeing the same iron bars and rock wall. Nothing had changed. Not a soul had been down that hallway since Lucy had been brought back.

"I'm not sure. A few hours I suppose but no more than three or four." He wished that she had slept longer. He knew she needed it. He could see the weariness on her face, the bags under her eyes and the sallow color of her skin. Whatever they had done had really sapped the strength from her and he wished he knew more about what happened. But he wasn't going to push it. She would tell him when she was ready.

A door creaked open down the hall and both of them looked up at once, their eyes alert to the sound of footsteps shuffling closer and closer till the grinning figure of Vane appeared before them. He slid two small bowls between the bars, uncaring that half the contents of the food fell to the floor and then left, but not before his eyes swept lazily over Lucy's body.

Beside him, Lyon could feel Lucy's body tense and she seemed to curl in on herself as the man looked at her. Without thought he rose to his feet and leapt towards the bars, thrusting his arms through and managed to just grab a piece of the man's clothing before it was jerked away, slipping from his fingers.

"Don't look at her! Do you hear me? I will…"

The door slammed closed, leaving Lyon to curse to himself as he backed away from the bars and turned back to Lucy. Roughly he slid his hand through his hair, standing the silver strands on end and released a long breath. "Sorry," he said, looking weary and frustrated.

He turned his attention to the food and grimaced at the contents. It looked like lumpy porridge and as he lifted it to his nose he crinkled his face and groaned. "We have to eat this shit?"

Lucy shuffled closer and grabbed the other bowl, blanching as she took a whiff as well.

"Get used to it. That's all you'll be having during your stay here."

Both Lucy and Lyon jerked their heads up at once, finding the man who'd brought her back earlier standing just on the other side of the cell.

"Now get a move on. I don't have all damn day," the man said, motioning with his head towards their bowls.

Lyon shoved his through the bars and stood back defiantly.

"Suit yourself. You'll be the one starving before long." He grabbed his now all too familiar rod and waved it threateningly towards Lyon through the bars and as he did so, the sound of more booted feet approaching echoed down the hall.

"We won't be having any more trouble, now will we?" the rich voice asked as a perfectly tailored suit came into view.

"That depends. Are you planning on letting us go?" Lyon replied, his eyes narrowing.

Raeden laughed deeply, the sound carrying around the area. "Not quite. Our first little trial went better than expected. I'm looking forward to what else I might learn."

"I won't let you hurt her again," Lyon said, stepping back till he was standing in front of Lucy's still seated form.

"Actually, right now it's your turn…"

* * *

><p>The door slammed closed behind Gray as he stormed out of the police station. "Those guys are a bunch of morons," he roared as he walked rigidly by Juvia and Chelia who'd been waiting outside.<p>

Jura followed him out, his demeanor slightly less hostile but equally as frustrated.

"What happened?" Chelia asked as she fell into step beside him, following Gray who had Juvia plastered to his side, most likely asking the same questions.

Jura didn't turn his head but stared straight in front of him as he walked down the street, "They will do what they can. In the meantime, we need to be out searching on our own."

"Maybe Natsu and Erza found something while we were gone," Chelia said optimistically.

"Let us hope."

It didn't take long for the four of them to reach the hotel, all of them deciding to meet in Erza's room to find out the progress of things.

"The police aren't going to be any help," Gray said when everyone had arrived.

Jura coughed quietly and calmly spoke up. "They are going to send out a team and see what they can find. They've heard nothing of anyone or any group around the area causing any trouble but they will start an investigation."

"Thank you Jura," Erza acknowledged with a slight nod of her head. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she paced the room restlessly. "Natsu and I didn't manage to find much but we did find this." She reached onto a side table and grabbed a small needle looking thing. "It's a dart. We believe they may have been hit by these before they were taken. Natsu is on his way to Porlyusica's house as we speak to find out what the liquid is that's inside of it."

"So now what?" Juvia inquired, fidgeting restlessly with something in her hands as she sat beside Gray on the edge of the bed.

Gray stood, his hands fisted at his sides. "Now we go out and find them."

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><p>His heart was pounding and his teeth clenched as he struggled against the leather bindings holding him down. He knew it was a futile effort but he couldn't help but try. The need to free himself raged through his entire body but nothing budged, the straps holding him immobile on the cold table.<p>

"We're going to give this a try first and maybe we'll get lucky enough that it'll work as well as it did on Ms. Heartfilia," Raeden said as he loomed above Lyon.

Lyon sneered at the man, gritting his teeth and then gave another violent attempt at freeing himself. He could feel his skin burning beneath the leather straps, the fabric rubbing harshly against his skin, but he didn't care. He was desperate to get away but then suddenly, the well manicured man gave an abrupt order and pain like Lyon had never felt before swept through his body.

Sharp metal rods stuck into his back, piercing flesh and muscle. He screamed but quickly clamped his mouth closed. He remembered how he'd felt hearing Lucy's screams, how agonizingly helpless he'd felt and he didn't want her to have to go through that as well. She'd gone through enough.

But that didn't keep him from bucking wildly, his body thrashing. Every movement sent jolts of pain slicing through his body but he didn't care. He wasn't about to make this easy for them.

"Alright, start the machine," Raeden's smooth voice commanded and suddenly Lyon's entire body went rigid and his eyes flew open. It felt like he was being dissolved from within, like every ounce of himself was being sucked away. It was beyond pain, beyond agony. It was like the Devil himself was trying to steal his very soul by sucking it out of him through a tiny straw.

Another scream threatened to slip past his lips but he bit it back. He had to stay strong. He had to keep himself under control.

He didn't know how long the pain lasted, the moment stretching on and on till he was lost in the misery. Vaguely he could hear the men around him, mumbling orders and shuffling from one end of the room to the other. He didn't pay much attention to them, too lost in himself. But when the pain suddenly started to lessen, he blinked his eyes open and gazed around the room as best he could.

"Well, I have some bad news," Raeden said, coming to Lyon's side and staring down at him. His violet eyes were cold and assessing, revealing nothing of the man inside. "It turns out," he said, sighing, "this technique won't work on you the way it did your comrade. Or, at least, not as well. We're going to have to try something different."

Lyon winced and groaned loudly as suddenly the rods were removed from his back. "Why are you doing this?" he asked through gritted teeth, still struggling with the bindings holding him down.

The light haired man ordered one of his men to do something and then turned back to Lyon. "_Why?"_ he mimicked, his brows drawn down. "Isn't it obvious? I want to be a mage like you." He turned away and relayed another order before backing away from the table. "Remember… don't struggle."

An instant later, Lyon's hands were seized and large needles were being stuck into his inner forearm like a doctor drawing blood. The needles were attached to a long tube which ran for several feet, too far for Lyon to even see where they ended and with a last order, a switch was pulled and Lyon's entire body bowed off the table. The pain had been bad before, agonizing… but it was nothing compared to this. He was being ripped apart. It felt like his body was being turned inside out. All conscious thought fled and time became non-existent.

"That's it. That's what we're looking for," Raeden said nearby but his words were lost to Lyon who was screaming to the ceiling, feeling as if his life was slipping away.

* * *

><p>It was with profound relief that Lucy watched Lyon's limp body being dragged down the hallway and then shoved inside their cell. His hair was damp at the roots, hanging in strands in front of his face and Lucy quickly knelt beside him and gathered his head on to her lap.<p>

"Lyon… Lyon!" she mumbled over and over again, listening to his shallow breaths for the slightest whisper of a word.

She thanked Mavis when a long low moan finally worked its way up his throat and she smoothed the hairs back from his face. "It's ok. You're going to be ok," she said as she absentmindedly began toying with his hair, running her fingers through the thick strands.

Lyon's eyes blinked open, finding Lucy's face hovering above him and he sighed in relief as he closed them again and turned his face into her lap. She was warmth and softness and everything he needed in that moment; everything he needed as he drifted off to sleep.

To be continued...

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Let us know what you think so far :)<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

_This story has become so addicting, and Nicole4211 and I seem to be feeding off of each other. Every time I get one of her chapters for it, I find myself getting excited all over again, and I can't wait to get started on the next bit. I can only hope it's the same for you all as you read it. Let us know what you think, how you feel, what you hope is coming next!_

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><p><strong>CAPTIVITY<strong>

**Chapter 5**

It had been days since their capture, seven at the very least, and by now, a steady routine had been established. For a while, Lucy hadn't been able to decide if that was a good thing or not considering that she could literally count down the hours until they would come for her or Lyon again, but in the end, she'd found that she appreciated the time to prepare herself.

Their schedules were all but set in stone from what she could tell - though without a clock, she couldn't be sure – with her going back on one day, then Lyon the next. She supposed their captors were attempting to keep them from burning out by staggering their visits to the Hell Room as she'd taken to calling it, but to be honest, there was no way to completely recuperate from what they'd done before it was time to experience again.

She gave a weary sigh as she looked down at her last bite and grimaced. How she hated this stuff. It was utterly vile, but they had no choice. It was either force down the disgusting slop or risk starvation, and that was simply not an option. Neither of them had any intention of throwing in the towel, not now...not ever.

Of course, that meant she had to suck it up and swallow this final bit. She cringed as the barely warm, lumpy mess itched its way down her throat, the thick goop sticking and causing her to gag before it slid the rest of the way down. She shuddered and barely restrained the urge to use her shirt to scrape the taste from her tongue.

Her face screwed up in revulsion, Lucy dropped her bowl on the floor. "God, that stuff is gross."

In perfect agreement, Lyon nodded his head, setting his own dish over hers. "Only way I could get through it was to imagine it was oatmeal."

Lucy blanched at that, her hand coming up over her mouth. "Oh please don't mention oatmeal."

The silver-haired mage gave a little chuckle at her reaction. "Okay, no oatmeal." He waited while she groaned again, then asked, "What would you have picked?"

A hum left her mouth as she tipped her head back, and then she gave a dreamy grin. "A big bowl of ice cream..." She closed her eyes and imagined it, missing the creamy goodness, the rich flavors bursting on her tongue. "That sounds so good! What about you? And this time be serious," she scolded playfully.

Lyon tossed her an amused look and stretched himself out across the thin mat they shared, his arms crossing beneath his head. "Hmm...how about some hot wings?" He paused as if envisioning it, then licked his lips and smiled. "Yeah, hot wings and ranch dressing."

The blonde drew back in shock, her eyes widening at the unexpected response. He had to be yanking her chain. "Are you serious? You like hot stuff?"

"Yeah," he laughed, a wide smile pulling the corners of his lips up.

"But you're an ice mage..." she mused, her eyebrow winging up in confusion as she considered her companion. She could never remember Gray eating anything even closely resembling heat of any sort, so she supposed she'd assumed that Lyon would be the same way. "I would think you'd hate hot food."

"No, that's just Gray," he said with a snort, obviously picking up on her reasoning. "He can't handle anything hotter than pizza."

A soft giggle eased its way up her throat. He was right of course. She'd seen Natsu trick Gray into trying stuff that had just a bit of heat to it, and the dark-haired man had all but trampled her in his haste to get to a glass of water. "I know what you mean. I guess I just didn't expect you to prefer hot to cold with your magic."

"Ahh..." He nodded, his voice gaining a teasing lilt. "I suppose I can forgive that assumption since you did meet Gray first."

Lucy had to smile at that, the first in a long while that felt entirely unfettered. It felt like ages since she had been able to laugh without having to force the sound or the emotion behind it, and she was more than a little grateful for it.

It was such a nice, normal conversation, one that almost made her forget where they were for a moment. Still, it couldn't last, and as if to punctuate that sentiment, she hear the door at the end of the hall give a loud groan. She took a deep, steadying breath and stood to her feet. It was her turn, and though everything in her protested her going willingly, she knew they would never get out of here if they constantly kept their captors on their guard. The only chance she and Lyon had was to convince the men who'd taken them that they had accepted their fate and hope that someone slipped up.

It had to be a good show, and as she turned to walk toward the door, she let her shoulders slump in defeat. But before she could even go a step, Lyon's hand reached up, brushing against hers in silent encouragement. It sent a shot of warmth deep in her chest, and she gave the tips of his fingers a light squeeze before she moved away.

She let them herd her out of the cell, then down the hall, her footsteps leading her ever closer to that dreaded room, and she felt fear begin to claw up her throat. But she clenched her eyes shut for a moment, just an instant and focused on the comfort she'd felt in Lyon's touch.

She could do this. It would hurt like hell, and there would be moments when she'd feel like she would break apart, but she would get through it because she knew he was waiting for her. She would come back with her body bloody and worn, her nerves fraying at the seams, and he would be there. He would bring her back.

So, with tears streaking their way down her cheeks, she put one foot in front of the other and faced the room that engendered such terror inside her. Using every last bit of strength she could muster, she ignored the way her heart pounded and fought to remember that she wasn't alone. Lyon was with her. No matter what they did to her in there, she wasn't alone.

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><p>Lyon lay there, staring up at the ceiling and gritting his teeth as Lucy's screams rang out once more. She sounded so tormented, and it ripped him up inside that he could do nothing to stop it. He hated this, the cage they'd been dumped in, the rotten food they were made to eat, the horrible conditions they had to live in, but the worst was the horrific things they were forced to endure.<p>

Every other day, they took him back, did all manner of agonizing things to his body all in the name of some foolhardy dream of transferring magic into a average human. It made him furious that they were being used in such way and for such an insane reason. There Lucy was, wailing as they raped her body of every ounce of magic they could, and it was all for nothing.

He'd never understood how people could be so cruel, how they could do such awful things to others. For the most part, he'd always been more of a live and let live guy, with the exception of his brief stray into madness on Galuna Island. That experience had changed him, and a new code of life had begun. It had started with Gray and grown more extensively when he'd joined Lamia Scale.

And that was why this was so hard, because he could see how kindly Lucy lived. The woman was caring and bright, and he was certain she had not a single mean bone in her body. He'd long ago forgiven himself for his misdeeds and found a way to atone for his sins, and to be honest, he knew he didn't deserve this either. But Lucy...had she ever done anything bad?

She seemed like pure innocence - in every sense of the word. In spite the pain they put her through, the wounds that marred her back, her faith hadn't diminished. She still held strong to the belief that her friends would find her, that somehow they would make it out. There was nothing to vindicate such a belief, but she held fast...and Lyon couldn't quite decide if it was brave of her or completely naïve.

But all that lent credence to her apparent goodness. Evil literally surrounded her here, yet it couldn't taint her hope.

It was impressive, but Lyon had to wonder how long it could continue. He could already feel the doubts sinking in, the fear that they would never leave this place alive inching its way into his mind. Because he was trapped in every sense of the word. Even if he'd wanted to fight them, he couldn't. His magic was cut off from him, and with every round of torture in that machine, his strength dwindled.

He wished so badly to be back to normal, to be able to keep them away from Lucy. But how could he protect her when the very action that could keep her safe would cause them to hurt her more?

Bitterness crawled up his throat. He had no options, and while he had to admit that Lucy's plan of feigning submission had some merit, he couldn't bring himself to believe it would work. The man that orchestrated all this was no fool. Lyon had only needed to meet him once to understand that he was a devious sort, one that had seen and tried every trick in the book and invented a few himself. There was a darkness to him that belied his elegant exterior, a blackness that brought to mind all sorts of frightful things.

There was an inherent evil feeling to the man. He wouldn't be easy to trick, and with the level of interest he'd shown in this particular endeavor, Lyon couldn't see him leaving it to his cronies. Those two were smart, wily for sure, but they were nowhere close to Raeden's league.

Lucy's heartbreaking screams rose in volume, causing him to clench his fists in anger. He could hear the tremor in her voice, the sound that was nearly his undoing every time they took her, and he could no longer just sit there. Gaining his feet, he paced, his steps sounding loud in the empty room, but not loud enough to drown out her cries. And he wouldn't want it to.

As crazy as it sounded, and as horrible as it was to have to hear, he couldn't bear the thought of blocking out the sound of her agony. She was in there alone with all those people who could care less how much she hurt, if she lived, if she died.

So did the only thing he could do. He listened. It was the only way he could be there with her, the only way to support her when she was away from him. No matter now much it pained him, he couldn't let her cries fall on deaf ears.

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><p>Fairy Tail was in a state of panic. It was a rather organized sort of panic, but it was frantic all the same. It had been a week since their Celestial mage had disappeared along side Lyon of Lamia Scale, and they had not even a single lead to follow. Hence the panic.<p>

Natsu was by far the worst. In the best of circumstances, the fire mage was impatient and impulsive, but in a situation such as this, he was a mess. He could barely sit still, every few moments rising up out of his seat as if to go somewhere and then realizing there was nowhere to go, before dropping back angrily into the chair.

Gray was in a bad place as well. He was dealing with not only losing a close friend, but also a man who served as both brother and rival. Though his reaction differed from Natsu's drastically, slumping worriedly at the table saying nothing, it was clear to see that he was struggling just as much with the inaction.

For her part, Erza was finding a way to keep her fear to herself. She had no way of knowing how long that would hold, but for now, she needed to keep a level head. Her team for all its bad habits and crazy ways was a close knit group, and Lucy's absence was tearing them up. The redhead knew it would only take even the hint of a lead to send the boys running off half-cocked, and that wouldn't help anyone.

They needed something solid, and she had to keep being the patient enough for the three of them. But she had to admit it was wearing on her. She desperately longed for a moment to herself, just a few minutes where she could let herself fall apart, but that didn't look like it would be happening. Natsu and Gray needed her, Happy too, and somehow, she had to keep pressing on, keep staying strong in spite of the worry that threatened to overwhelm her.

But that only worked if her body cooperated, and obviously it had decided that she had held on long enough. With a bark of an excuse, she made her way toward the back of the building and pushed out the door to the rear. She barely made it out to the secluded area around the pool when the tears came rushing out, and with a sob, she let herself drop heavily onto an abandoned lounge chair.

She felt weak for letting her emotions get the best of her at such a time, but there were times when even she couldn't control herself. Her friend was out there, and she had no idea what was happening to her. Who had her? Was she okay?

The questions spilled through her mind like they did nearly every moment, and just like always, she had no answers. Her heart ached with fear, and she wished desperately for Jellal. How she needed his strong embrace right now.

As if in answer to her prayers, she heard his deep voice call out to her. "Erza..."

Her head came up with a jerk, and at the sight of him standing there, a soft wail slipped up her throat. With her lip trembling and not a care for how she looked, she stood to her feet and ran to him. He threw his arms out wide, and she stepped between them with her walls crumbling down.

This was what she'd needed - his strength, his determination. Somehow, he had known she would need him, and he hadn't let her down.


	6. Chapter 6

**Again, thank you all for following this story and leaving comments. We greatly appreciate them all. Even if we don't reply to them, we really enjoy every single one. It's a little awkward for us to reply since not a single one of us can take credit for anything since we're writing it together.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Hope blossomed warm inside Erza's chest as she sat on the picnic bench, her body turned towards the man that had become to much more than a close friend.

"I'm sorry Erza. I don't have much information," he said, reaching out and grasping one of her hands from her lap. His thumb absently began rubbing over her skin and he took a deep breath before he continued. "It's all just rumors."

"You and I both know that rumors usually have a hint of the truth in them. And anything at this point is better than nothing."

Jellal sighed and nodded his head. She was right. Most of the intel he learned started from rumors but he hated getting her hopes up. He'd never seen her in the state she was in right now. It wrenched his heart knowing she was suffering so terribly. That's why as soon as he'd heard the news, he'd had to come see her. He didn't care if he was spotted by someone. Didn't care if he was arrested again. He'd had to be here... for her.

He clutched her hand tighter, relishing being able to touch her like this. It was such a simple pleasure but it was so rare and he yearned for more moments like this. Unfortunately the moment came under not so great circumstances and he sighed heavily before he started, "The rumor is that there was a man who wanted to become a mage. It piqued my interest because someone said something about transferring magic into him."

"Transferring magic?" Erza questioned, her head turned slightly to the side in confusion.

"Yea. It made me think of Lucy's abilities and how she shares her magic with her spirits. I could be completely off base but I thought it was worth mentioning."

Erza nodded, her head bowing in thought. She was silent for several moments and Jellal took the time to gaze at her thoughtfully. The worry lines were clear on her face, crinkling beside her eyes and above on her forehead. He wanted to smooth them out, have her smile for just a short space of time and without thought, his hand lifted and he lightly grazed his fingers over her cheek.

"So you think that maybe this guy took Lucy and is trying to get her to transfer her magic into him?" Erza questioned, turning her eyes up to his.

Jellal shrugged and dropped his hand back into his lap. "Like I said, it was just a rumor and a very far-fetched thought."

Erza stared off into the distance, her thoughts a world away. Her hand was still gripping Jellal's and she tightened her grasp as a wave of anger and sadness washed over her. She was so grateful that he was here, even if he didn't have any answers. She just wanted him beside her, holding her hand like this and silently giving her strength when she felt like she had none left at all.

There was a thick lump in her throat and she swallowed it down. She had to help her friends, had to be strong for them. What Jellal had said might be just a rumor but it was something and anything was better than nothing at this point. The hope felt good burning inside her chest. "No, I think you might be on to something," she finally said, turning to face him with a more determined glint in her eyes. "Yes, this is good."

Erza stood to her feet and the instant Jellal joined her she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick, hard kiss on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you so much." And then she was off with a renewed bounce to her step.

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><p>Raeden put an end to the day, ordering the machine to be stopped and for the girl to be brought back to her cell. He watched Cain enter the room as he always did, preferring to stay outside during the treatment and then come back when it was all over. The man lifted the girls limp form off of the table, her arms dangling lifelessly towards the floor and then they disappeared behind the door once again, leaving him alone with Vane who was busy taking care of the machine.<p>

The sight of Lucy's nearly lifeless form didn't faze him in the least. He'd seen worse… much worse. So much so that he was cold to it now. He was blissfully detached from anything remotely close to feelings and as he wandered out of the cold room and made his way down the empty hallway, a memory as vivid as it had been at the age of seven skidded into his thoughts.

It had been a beautiful day, the sun high in the sky with only a few passing clouds to hinder its brilliance. Raeden was happily trailing after his father, a large pack on his back with all the supplies they might need. A huge smile had been pasted to his face since they'd left that morning and nothing, not the crabby train conductor nor the impending monster they had to face could take it away. He was with his father, finally, after so many years of waiting.

By early evening they had reached the town that the complaint had been made from, a small place with only a half mile of shops lining both sides of one street. They'd immediately gone straight to the root of the problem, searching out the monster in the nearby woods and finding it relatively easily as it had come crashing through the brush, snarling with fangs bared.

It was a horrible creature, black as a moonless night with bright silver eyes and talons the size of daggers. Raeden hid behind his father, clutching the fabric of his pants in small fists as tears started to stream down his face.

"Mages don't show fear," his father said sternly and reluctantly Raeden backed away, releasing his hold on him and wiping his tears away with the back of his fists.

The creature leapt forward, roaring as it flew through the air. Raeden screamed and fell backwards, tripping over his own feet and went sprawling on the ground. "Dad!" he cried but his father was already casting a spell, his hands spread out in front of him as he barked a command and a wall of sand rose up in front of him.

Raeden watched in awe. He'd never seen his father in action before. Swirls of sand spun through the air and he launched volley after volley of attack at the monster, hitting it time and time again.

The midnight creature growled with every blow, anger simmering at the edges of his glowing eyes. The blasts of sand slowed him but only for the briefest of moments before it continued forward, coming closer and closer.

"Raeden, now!" his father hollered and the boy looked up at him, rivers of tears falling down his face.

"I can't!" he cried and then went silent, his entire world coming to a screeching halt. It happened in the blink of an eye, so fast he could hardly believe it had happened if his father's body hadn't been missing. He was gone, swallowed whole by the monster that was now licking its lips and drooling profusely.

He stood there, stiff as a board, his eyes wider than saucers. The beast sniffed him loudly, dripping spit on the boys head and then, with a wet snort, took off in the direction he'd come.

Raeden took a seat on the hard wooden chair in his quarters, reliving the memory that he'd relived countless times over the course of his life. He used to cry, used to feel pain, but not anymore. He was dead inside and he found, death suited him nicely.

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><p>Lyon watched as the brown haired man carried Lucy's body back into the cell, depositing her on the cold floor before shutting and locking the gate once again. He left as silently as he'd come and as soon as he was gone from sight, Lyon quickly lifted Lucy up and then carefully laid her out on the thin matt in the corner of the cell. Her eyes were closed as he stretched out beside her but she was awake. The moment he settled himself down her hands were on him, trembling as they grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. Her head buried itself against his chest and he gathered her into his arms, careful of the bruises and cuts on her back.<p>

He knew she was crying quietly, could feel the tears dampening the front of his shirt. But he didn't say anything, just held her close and let her cry. It was all he could do. He knew the pain she was going through, how your body could feel completely raped from the inside and there was nothing he could do about it.

Her body slowly stopped shaking, more from exhaustion than relief. He knew that as well, how your body just couldn't take any more and started to shut down. Soon she would drift into a fitful sleep and then come back feeling slightly more human, as if she was no longer balancing the thin line between life and death. So he just continued to hold her, knowing that when roles were reversed, being in her arms was the only thing that kept him from diving over the wrong side of that line each and every time he was balancing on it.

Time passed by quietly. Lyon drifted in and out of sleep, waking when Lucy's body would start to shudder and shake. He would whisper softly to her and rub his hand up and down the parts of her back that didn't hurt. He knew them by heart now, where each and every needle would pierce her skin. He knew them as well as he knew his own marks. When she woke, he would set to work cleaning them off, just like he's done time and time again.

Lucy moaned loudly in her sleep and her fingers curled against his chest, clutching the fabric of his shirt tighter and tighter. His hand automatically moved up to the back of her head and his fingers threaded within her soft hair, rubbing gently over her scalp. "It's ok Lucy. You're ok," he whispered over and over again, hoping that his words would reach her. She'd become so precious to him so quickly. He couldn't imagine going through this without her and he said as much as he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the top of her head. "I need you Lucy. Don't let them win."

He heard the faintest sound vibrate in her throat and she pulled herself closer. "I won't...," she said so quietly that he could barely hear. Her mouth opened again and he leaned closer. "I won't let them win," she said, her voice cracking. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He pressed another soft kiss to her forehead and slowly stroked her hair.

"I know you won't," he mumbled and kissed her temple. Her skin was like silk, even in these horrible conditions and he hummed as his lips trailed down and pressed against her cheek. So warm, so soft.

His lips kissed the tip of her nose and he smiled when she slowly opened her eyes, blinking as she looked up at him. "Welcome back," he said and placed another kiss to her forehead.

She smiled weakly back at him and eased her grip on his shirt. Her hands flattened against his chest and she took a deep, calming breath as Lyon pushed a few strands of hair away from her face. She felt his lips at the corner of her eye and all the tension in her body slipped away. It was the sweetest release, all the torment fading away with his caring gesture. It was such a nice change from the harsh conditions they'd been in and the horror they'd been going through.

"Thank you," she said, meaning it on so many levels. Thank you for the warm embrace. Thank you for the strength. Thank you for being there for me.

"No problem Angel." His lips pressed one last time to her forehead and he smiled warmly at her and tucked her head back against his chest. "Now let's try to get some sleep."

To be continued...

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><p><strong>Alrighty, how did you like it? I promise, I will respond to each and every review this time :D<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay, so first, I apologize for taking so long to get around to writing this chapter. I've had a bit of trouble lately with my writing, but thankfully, today, my muse returned with my inspiration in tow. Hope you enjoy, and be sure look forward to Nicole4211's chapter coming next time!_

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><p><strong>Captivity<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

_Dark...it was so damn dark. The kind of dark that felt like it pressed in around you, the kind that made your skin crawl and your mind wonder what things lurked around the bend. It was a blackness the likes of which Lyon had never found himself in._

_It was the sort of thing that made you want to stay frozen in place praying that nothing could hear the sound of your heart pounding in your chest, and for a time, that's just what he did. But he couldn't stay like that forever. He had to find a way out._

_Drawing in a deep breath, he took a step forward and immediately cringed at the loud crunch that echoed around him. He stilled as if someone had sealed him with his own magic, and waited for what felt like an eternity for someone...something to come to investigate. By the time he was ready to try again, his breathing was ragged, the air puffing in and out of his mouth in quick succession._

_He didn't think he'd ever been so nervous in his life, but he was trying valiantly to keep his cool and think things through. He couldn't afford to make a mistake. Who knew what awaited him further down this hallway._

_He paused at that, and realized what his subconscious had obviously already figured out. He was inside some sort of structure, most likely a hallway if that echo was anything to go by. Still, that didn't give him much to go on. It was too dark to even make out what was breaking beneath his feet, and considering all the things his brain was imagining, he wasn't exactly complaining._

_Suddenly, a violent wail rent the air, an awful, hair-raising scream that set his nerves on edge. He knew that voice, knew that pitiful sound too well to mistake it for anything else._

_His blood ran cold at the fear in her voice, and without thought for his own safety, he took off in the direction the sound had come from. "Lucy!"_

_It no long mattered to him where he was. All he could think about was getting to her, ending her pain. But it was too dark. He found himself stumbling his way down the hall towards her, tripping and slamming into the wall because he couldn't see._

_A curse shot from his mouth as he went down, his knees hitting the ground and crushing whatever covered it. He panicked, worrying that he'd somehow gotten turned around in the fall. Was he even going the right way?_

_"Lucy!" His shout echoed down the hall, and he prayed that Lucy would call out for him again. All he needed was one more time to know he was heading in the right direction, but as the minutes passed, he began to worry._

_What if she couldn't answer? What if they'd silenced her for good?_

_His breaths came faster then, sorrow welling up within his chest. What would he do? How would he survive this, knowing he hadn't been able to save her?_

_"No...Please no..."_

_His heartfelt plea whispered its way out into the quiet, and he shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to keep hoping for the best._

_In the next instant, almost as if in response to his hope, Lucy cried out again. A sob of relief burst from his mouth at hearing her voice, and he pushed forward again, his bare feet racing along the uneven floor, demolishing the brittle things scattered about without pause. He could feel the soles of his feet opening up, warmth spreading along his skin as blood began to seep out, but he didn't stop. He couldn't, not when Lucy needed him._

_Abruptly, the hall opened up, transforming into a room of massive proportions. This place too was dark, but nowhere near what it had been before. He glanced around, the flame of a single flickering fire barely making visible the numerous doors that spread around the outer edge of the room. He came to a halt, his eyes darting to each exit. Which did he choose? Which lead to Lucy?_

_He called out once more, hoping that she would answer, praying that she still had the ability to respond, and only a moment later, he was rewarded with a shout of his name. A gasp flew from his lips as he bolted toward the right, following the sound of her voice. But there were too many doors._

_He rushed to the first, pulling and yanking on the handle, but the door refused to budge. It was locked, and he had no key. His hands slammed against the door, and he yelled out. "Lucy!"_

_Pressing his ear against the door, he waited, but after a moment of nothing, he moved down to the next door. Just like the first, it was locked, and try as he might, he couldn't break it down. So with a smack of his hands against the thick surface, he shouted for her again. Once more getting no response, he moved down, repeating the process with the third and final door._

_"Lucy! Answer me!"_

_All of a sudden, a wail sounded behind the door he stood in front of. He'd found her! His fists slammed against the door, shaking it violently in its frame, but that was all. There was no sign of it splintering, let alone breaking to grant him admission. But he refused to give up. She was in there, and she was in pain._

_Taking several steps back, he ran at the door, putting his shoulder down and smashing into it with every ounce of strength he possessed, and yet...it wasn't good enough. There it was, still standing and glaring at him like he'd already been defeated. But he wasn't done. He would fight to the death to reach Lucy, to get her away from whatever was hurting her._

_Suddenly, she let out a panicked howl. "NO! Don't touch me!"_

_"Lucy!" he yelled, slamming himself against the cursed door that separated him from her. His body shrieked at the abuse, but he didn't stop, didn't slow down. He had to get to her._

_"Lyon! Oh God...nooooooo!"_

_His fists crashed into the door over and over again as he listened to her cry out for him, regret carving its way deep within his soul. He couldn't get to her, couldn't save her. He was trapped like a damn dog behind this door, cut off from her when she needed him the most. He couldn't bear the agony in her voice, couldn't stop the ache in his chest or the tears streaming down his face._

_He felt so helpless then, so damn helpless to do anything to stop them. "Lucy!" he shouted, his voice cracking with his need to get to her and edging into full-blown panic. What were they doing to her? "Lucy!"_

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><p>Lucy woke to Lyon thrashing in his sleep, his body twisting in fits and jerks. She rolled over and found his face a mask of horror, tears seeping from his eyes, and her heart clenched in pain for him. What could he be dreaming that hurt him so?<p>

She reached for him, using gentle shakes to draw him from his nightmare. "Lyon...Lyon wake up..."

He bolted into a sitting position at once, his eyes wild and unfocused for a moment until they landed on her, and then he let loose a violent sob and lunged at her. His arms folded around her body, drawing her against him tightly, so tightly she could barely breathe.

"Lucy..." he whispered brokenly as he drew in deep shuddering breaths. "Oh God..."

She slipped her arms around him, attempting to soothe him. "Shhh...it's okay. You're okay."

He drew back almost instantly, his hands lifting to cup her face, then trail down her arms. His eyes followed his hands, scanning her thinning form as if he wasn't quite sure she was real. His fingers shook as he swept them over hips, then her legs. It was a startlingly intimate touch, but Lucy knew he didn't mean it that way. She could still feel the lingering fear in him, still see the panic swimming in his nervous gaze.

"Lyon, what is it? What happened?" He was beginning to scare her. She'd never seen him this way, so shaken, so frantic.

Suddenly, the door down the hall squealed open, and Lyon's head jerked up. "No...not yet..."

"Let's go!" the guard called, waving his hand over as another reached down to unlock the cell.

But Lyon made no move to join them. He was still so distressed, his hands making another frenzied pass over my body. Lucy wanted to pull him into her arms, hold him until his fears passed, but she knew those men wouldn't wait.

Sure enough, one of the burly guys stomped into the cell, his expression dark with annoyance. "I said, let's go!" He grabbed at Lyon, ripping him away from her.

"Wait! Please!" she called out, but it was too late.

All at once, the silver-haired mage exploded in a flurry of movement, his arms swinging around to clock the guy. A howl of rage erupted from his mouth as two more men joined the first, each pounding on him with meaty fists.

"Stop it!" Lucy yelled, tears pouring down her face as she fought to pull one of them away. "Stop it! You're hurting him!"

The man's head whipped around to her, and with no time for her to react, she found herself on the receiving end of a sharp back-handed slap. Her body flew back, smacking roughly against the wall and pushing a pained cry from her lips.

And Lyon responded to that sound with a feral growl, his efforts to destroy the men holding him increasing tenfold. "Don't touch her!"

He was beyond angry. Sweet Mavis, he was angry. It was like he'd completely lost control, and Lucy could only watch in horror as the final guard drove that cursed rod into Lyon's side. His body jerked at the flow of electricity, a heartbreaking groan spilling from his mouth as he dropped to the floor twitching violently.

She rushed toward him, her only thought to protect him from the men who'd just hurt him so badly, but she got no more than two steps in his direction before one of the men rounded on her, one of those cursed rods in his hand as well. "Get the fuck back!"

A whimper left her throat as she came to a stop. "Please...just let me help him..."

But the man didn't care. He advanced on her with a hateful look, one that promised retribution should she decide to disobey him. "I told you to get back!"

She couldn't do that though, not with Lyon lying so still on the floor. She had to know he was okay. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Not until you let me see him."

"You stupid bitch..."

His arm lifted, his eyes narrowing dangerously, and Lucy flinched, her eyes closing in anticipation of the hit. But it never came. A deep voice called out, stopping the attack, and Lucy looked up to see the tall, broad man who always came for her. His hand was wrapped tightly around the other man's arm, a fierce scowl on his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Her attacker jerked his arm away. "Back off, Cain! She was trying to fight me!"

"I wasn't! I just wanted to make sure Lyon was okay after they shocked him!" Lucy wasn't even sure why she was arguing. It wasn't like any of these people were on her side. It wasn't like they gave a damn about either of them.

But the larger man surprised her, turning to the man who'd been trying to strong-arm her. "Keep your hands off her and get him to the lab."

Lucy blinked at him in shock. Had he actually defended her?

"I don't answer to you!"

Cain took a threatening step forward, easily towering over the other man. "You'll do what you're told or you'll be finding yourself without the use of your arms."

The smaller man held his ground for another thirty seconds before folding, and then he turned, reaching down to snatch Lyon's limp body from the floor. With a growl at the other men to grab his legs, the vicious man stomped from the room, taking Lyon with him. Cain followed after them, offering not even a glance in Lucy's direction while he locked the cell door and walked away.

The blonde was left in the empty room, the sudden silence allowing her worry to return with a vengeance, and with a sob, she dropped to her knees. She was so afraid. There was no telling what they would do to Lyon for fighting them like that. Raeden had said he wasn't after the ice mage at all, that he had just been an extra, so did that mean they didn't need him?

That question brought panic rising up inside her. Would they kill him if they deemed him too much trouble? Would they punish him for opposing them in such a way?

Surely, Raeden wouldn't let them hurt him. His body was already struggling to keep up with the tests they ran on him every other day. Any more damage, and his system could shut down.

Still, her reasoning couldn't calm her tears. She was too afraid for him, and too afraid to be without him. She couldn't lose him now. She needed him here with her. How would she survive this without him?

He was her support, her strength, the one who drew her from her nightmares, the one that soothed her after her own sessions with Raeden's machine. She needed his soft words, his comforting touches. She wouldn't make it alone.

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><p>Lyon had no way of knowing how long he'd been gone, nor what had happened to Lucy in his absence. While on the machine, he had managed to convince himself that his dream hadn't actually happened, which was a good thing, but he still couldn't shake the need to see her again. He had to know she was alright before he could let himself drift off into the darkness.<p>

He felt himself drop to the floor, and all at once, he heard Lucy's voice. "Lyon!"

His cut off a groan as he fought to open his eyes. He wouldn't be able to rest until he saw her. Finally, his lids lifted, and he found his vision full of her golden hair. It was like looking up into the face of an angel, a tired, battered angel, but one just the same.

"You...okay?" he asked, ignoring the way his voice cracked.

Her eyes shined down at him, tiny rivulets streaking down her cheeks, and she nodded, lifting her hand to his face and brushing her thumb over his skin. "I'm fine, Lyon. Are you okay?"

His lips quirked the faintest bit as his vision swam, and with darkness closing in, he whispered, "I am now..."


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry this took so long guys. I've been distracted by other stuff and this was put on the back burner. I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

The sky was dark, writhing storm clouds gathering in shades of charcoal, purple, and metallic silver overhead. A fierce wind stampeded its way through the abandoned fairgrounds, old fading colored flags waving loudly and tree limbs looking as if they were coming alive as they swayed heavily from side to side. Jura walked calmly along the path, his long beard whipping around his large body. He didn't seem to give it much notice. His thoughts were far away, analyzing for the millionth time what could have possibly happened to his guild mate and friend that night almost two weeks ago.

It seemed like so much longer, every day and every night since he'd vanished seeming like an eternity of agony. In the years that Lyon had been a member of Lamia Scale, they had developed a close friendship, one of mutual admiration and respect. He still remembered the day Lyon had walked through the guild doors, his eyes wide and large like a puppy dogs when given their first bone. He'd been very jaded then, not trusting a soul and prone to quick snaps of aggravation. But that had changed over time, eventually turning into such a prominent member in the guild that he'd become the glue that kept everyone together.

A rumble of thunder overhead seemed to echo the thoughts in Jura's mind. He was angry and beyond frustrated. They'd gotten no where with their efforts so far, and he knew Fairy Tail wasn't doing much better. Neither guild had been able to find a single clue so far, nothing but a tiny hint of a possible lead. Hints were not enough for Jura. He wanted factual evidence, something he could actually work with. That's why he was here right now with a small man trailing quietly behind him who he'd had to track down from nearly clear across Fiore.

Tumble Dinkwheeler hobbled slowly on bowed out, short legs, his lungs struggling to keep pace behind Jura's large strides. What he lacked in height, the man more than made up for in girth, with a belly rotund from years of being his wife's number one customer at her bakery. His face was nearly as round as his belly and his ears were so large that the tips of them, if pulled over his head, could touch one another.

"Are we almost there yet?" the small man asked, huffing and puffing between each word.

Jura nodded his head, his hands shoved inside the sleeves of his oversized robe. They walked for several more yards and then Jura stopped, pointing to the area where people last remembered seeing the pair. "There, that's the place."

Tumble ambled forward and then licked the end of his finger. "Alright then. Let's have a listen, shall we?" He took that same wet finger and stuck it in his ear, rubbing it around and around while Jura watched on with furrowed brows. He did the same with the other ear and then there was silence.

Jura waited patiently as he watched the man take slow steps around the area, his eyes narrowed in intense concentration. It was some minutes later when Tumble finally opened his mouth and asked in his gruff voice, "The man Lyon, he was with a girl, right?"

Jura nodded his head, a stab of hope filling his chest. "Yes, her name is Lucy."

The man motioned with a shake of his head for them to move down the wide path and with every step, Jura felt more and more anxious. Had he been able to find their conversation? Were they traveling down the path that Lyon and Lucy had before they'd been abducted? Would he even be able to find out anymore than they already had?

They stopped at a crossing of sorts where two paths in intersected. One led back into the heart of the carnival grounds while the other led to a densely wooded area. "This is where it happened," the short man said, his eyes staring intensely at the ground as he concentrated. He took several more steps, seeming to be following a maze of sorts and then moved several yards back down the path. "Here, you're friend was brought down right here," he said, pointing to a grassy area not ten feet from the intersecting paths.

"Where did they take them?" Jura asked anxiously.

The man went silent for a few more moments and then pointed down the path that led into the woods. "They took them both, that way."

"Did you hear any names? Can you tell where they were going?"

"Unfortunately, no names. But yes, I can follow where they went for a bit," he answered and started making his way down the path, Jura right on his heals. After what was maybe a quarter mile, the small man turned back to Jura, an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry. The trail disappears here," he said, pointing to a small town up ahead. "It had only been footsteps up to this point but once beyond here, they get mixed with hundreds of others."

Jura nodded, satisfied with the information he'd received. For one, they knew that both Lyon and Lucy had been rendered incapacitated before being taken away. And two, he had a town now that he could start asking questions in. It may not be much, but it was a hell of a lot more than they had had before.

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><p>Lyon slowly awakened, his face surrounded by warmth and the sweetest softness. He took a deep breath, believing that he must still be sleeping. Things like this didn't exist in the reality he'd been living in the past few weeks. No, this was heaven in comparison.<p>

Gentle fingers brushed leisurely over his face, running over his brow and then along his nose and chin. His lips tingled at the strange sensation left behind by the ghost like touch and he licked his lips in response.

A soft voice hummed near his ear, lulling his dull mind into a beautiful trance like state and he buried his head further into the downy softness, moaning as the rich aroma invaded his senses. Yes, this had to be a dream. Nothing on earth was as perfect as this. Not even in the world beyond the cell doors.

"Lyon," the soft voice whispered, the sound vaguely familiar. He sighed in response, turning his face to the side. He didn't want to ruin the moment. He was too happy, it was too perfect.

"Lyon," the voice whispered again, beckoning him to leave his sanctuary. But he shook his head. He didn't want to. With all his might he wanted to cling to this moment.

… But that voice. That sweet, musical voice tugged at a nerve inside of him. He knew that voice. Something about it called to him in the deepest parts of his soul. He couldn't ignore it. He couldn't just let it linger in the distance of his thoughts. Whoever it was, they were very important to him and he had to know what was wrong.

"Lyon," Lucy said, stroking her fingers gently over the bridge of his nose. She hated to wake him when he was sleeping so peacefully but their food was there and before long, the men would be back and they would take the bowls away. They never gave them much time to eat their meals and as little food as they were given, they couldn't afford to miss a single one.

Lucy watched the silver haired mage roll his head from side to side, smiling as fresh bed wrinkles appeared on the side of his face that had just been pressed against the front of her shirt. "I'm sorry Lyon but you have to wake up. Our foods here," she said, tracing the lines on his face with the tips of her fingers. He groaned and then took a long deep breath, seeming to finally emerge into the world of the living. "Good morning."

Lyon blinked up at the sight above him, golden blonde hair framing a beautiful heart shaped face. Warm brown eyes smiled down at him and he suddenly realized that all along, it hadn't been a dream. It had been Lucy; her softness, her gentleness, her warmth. It was all her. "Hi," he said, his voice harsher than he'd expected.

"Hi there," she answered, brushing back several strands of his hair. She was leaning against the back wall of the cell, her legs spread out in front of her with Lyon lying between, his arms wrapped around her waist and his head resting on her belly. "Did you sleep well?"

Lyon yawned and then nodded his head, tightening his hold around Lucy's waist and rolling his head to the side. He wasn't ready to move yet.

"We should probably eat soon. The foods been here for a few minutes already," Lucy said but didn't stop playing with his thick hair. Her fingers ran through the soft strands, her nails gently scraping over his head. "You have nice hair."

A slow smile spread over Lyon's face and he reached a hand up and gently tugged on a strand of hers. "So do you," he replied and then rolled over on to his back, keeping his eyes on Lucy's face above him. "Thank you for waking me."

"No problem," Lucy answered and then dropped her hand to the side.

Lyon wanted to protest the loss of her hand but he thought better of it at the last second and instead lifted himself up and grabbed both bowls off the floor. "Bon appetite," he said and handed Lucy one of the bowls. They both grudgingly began eating, finishing the nasty crap in record time so that they didn't have to actually taste the slop.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked sarcastically, sliding beside Lucy to lean back against the wall the way she was. Their bowls were piled beside the gate at the front of their cell and already they could hear the sound of someone making their way down the hall to fetch them.

"Hmm, so much to choose from" she pondered, tapping her fingertips against her chin as she folded her lips. "Well, we could go shopping. I haven't done that in a while. Or we could go get ice cream cones at Scoops."

"Oh ice cream sounds great. Let's go get some and then hang out at the guild all afternoon," Lyon said, playing along. The large man with the sad eyes grabbed their bowls from the floor and departed without saying a word, leaving them alone once again.

Lucy laughed as if no one had been there, feeling more relaxed than she had in a long time. She didn't know why. Nothing had changed. They were still prisoners in this hell hole inside a mountain but somehow they had found a small bit of peace together in their quiet times alone.

"So what do you think you would be doing right now if this we weren't in here," she asked.

Lyon thought about it for a moment and then ran a hand through his messy hair. "Probably be getting a hair cut. My hair's never been this long," he said, grabbing a strand and pulling it in front of his eyes.

"Yea, it is getting pretty long isn't it?" Lucy reached a hand out and ran it through the strands, watching silver slide between her fingers. It struck her suddenly how nonchalant she was about touching him now. A few weeks ago she never would have done something like that to him. And oddly, it didn't faze her in the least. She liked this familiarity that had grown between them. It was probably one of the few things that were keeping them sane. They needed that human contact, needed those moments of compassion and tenderness.

She laughed as he turned his head and gave her a silly grin. "What about you? What would you…"

Suddenly the door down the hallway creaked open and they both instantly tensed and looked at each other apprehensively. What was going on? It was too early for them to take one of them back. They didn't usually come to get them for another several hours.

They listened intently as the steps drew closer. Lyon mindlessly reached his hand out and found Lucy's, intertwining their fingers and squeezing them for reassurance. A figure finally appeared in front of their cell and without a word, the quiet man that had brought their food out earlier threw a small box on to the floor and then retreated, disappearing a few moments later.

Lyon and Lucy looked at each other in confusion, neither knowing quite what to think of what just happened. There, sitting in the middle of their cell, was a small box of the last thing they expected

"Cards?" Lucy questioned, sitting up from the wall and looking closer.

Lyon moved with her, his hand still holding hers and then Lucy slid over the floor a few inches and grabbed the small box. "Yea, they're playing cards. Why would…" her voice drifted off as Lyon shrugged.

"No idea. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," Lucy answered, handing Lyon the box.

He examined the box, flipping it over and over and then popped the top open. "Well, I guess we can just make the best of it. What do you want to play?"

Lucy looked up at him quizzically and then slowly smiled. "Let's see…" she drummed her fingers over her lips as she thought, "How about Rummy?"

"Great! I love Rummy. I'm so going to kick your ass," he said, earning himself a gasp from the blonde as she moved so that she was sitting directly opposite him.

She watched as a sly grin spread over his face and then retorted with her own sly grin, "We'll see about that."

An hour later, Lucy yawned as she as she stretched her arms over her head. "Man, destroying you is tiring," she teased and then laughed when Lyon growled deep in his throat.

"You got lucky," he replied, his eyes filled with laughter. "But you're right, I'm tired too." He straightened the deck of cards and then shoved them back inside the small box. Wordlessly they both stretched out on the thin mattress, Lyon curving his larger body behind Lucy's and letting her rest her head on his outstretched arm.

"You know I let you win, right?" The soft words were spoken quietly behind Lucy's ear and she smiled and rolled her eyes to herself.

"Yes, of course you did," she replied sarcastically and then snuggled closer, pulling his arm around her body and threading her fingers through his. He was warm and solid behind her and the gentle pattern of his breathing had become a rhythm she couldn't fall asleep without. Heck, everything about the man had become something she couldn't do without; the way he held her so closely, the way his face rested behind her neck so that she could feel his soft breaths tickle the back of her neck, the way his lips so tenderly pressed against the back of her head. Every single little thing he did, and even the things he didn't do, was exactly what she needed. "Lyon," she whispered quietly and heard him make a low sound in the back of his throat, "Thank you."

"For letting you win? You don't have to thank me for that," he joked and then went serious when she turned in his embrace, lying so her back was flat on the ground. He was pressed up against her side, his head now propped up by his elbow as he looked down at her.

"Thank you for being you," she said, reaching a hand out and cupping his cheek.

His smile softened, several strands of silver hair falling over his forehead. "You don't have to thank me for that. But thank you for being you too." His lips pressed gently to her forehead and Lucy smiled as he pulled away.

She rolled back on to her side, snuggling back into his body and sighed contentedly. She hadn't felt this good in a long time. Sure, her body was sore, especially in the places that the men put their strange little gadgets, but the pain seemed far away as she lay there. She could feel Lyon take a long deep breath behind her, his chest expanding against her back, his breath fanning against her skin. Warm lips pressed softly against the back of her neck and she involuntarily shivered at the touch.

What was that? Why did she just shiver?

Lucy clenched her hands into tight little fists, fighting to ignore the strange feelings that were suddenly rushing through her body. This wasn't right. He hadn't done anything he hadn't done a thousand times before. She'd never reacted like this. He must have just found a sensitive spot on her body. That was it. But then his lips brushed below her ear and she sucked in a ragged quick breath, the same startling feeling streaking straight to her increasingly warm gut. She tried to shift her position, hoping it would ease some of the discomfort, but all it did was make her blazingly aware of his hard body behind her, suddenly seeming so much different than it ever had before.

Behind her, Lyon was fighting his own battle. He'd felt the way her soft little body had trembled at his touch and though he was sure it had just been a reflex, he couldn't seem to stop the cascade of feelings that were overwhelming him. Suddenly the curve of her backside felt alarmingly good in front of him and the dramatic dip of her waist made his hand itch to run along her side. He nuzzled against her neck, unable to resist the temptingly sweet scent that was drifting into his nose. His lips smoothed over her skin, not daring to go any further than her jawline and collarbone. But when her body shifted against him, rubbing over his embarrassingly awakened state, he couldn't stop himself from splaying his hand out over her hip and then running it slowly along her side. His fingers slid over rough fabric and then found smooth skin at her waist, sneaking accidentally beneath her shirt before he yanked his hand back, the tips tingling with sensation.

What was he doing? It was a miracle that Lucy hadn't turned around and slapped him yet. He had to stop this. He had to get his body under control. But the lure of her tempting body was driving him to madness and the thin garments that they were forced to wear did little in disguising the growing interest his body was having.

With every breath she took, Lucy grew more and more tense. She could feel every subtle brush of his body against hers, hear the way his breathing had accelerated. She didn't know what was happening, or why her body was reacting the way it was. But she couldn't seem to stop it, wasn't sure she even wanted to stop it. It was blissfully distracting from the normal feelings that swamped her as she would try to fall asleep. And then all thought stopped. His lips pressed openmouthed to the side of her neck, making the sexiest sucking sound she'd ever heard. Lava boiled in her gut and she struggled to hold back the moan that worked its way up her throat, swallowing it back and stiffening her spine before she melted against him and made a complete idiot of herself.

Lyon chastised himself for his actions, cursing himself under his breath as he felt her body go rigid against him. He was so stupid! How could he do such a thing? He had to get himself under control. He couldn't ruin the trust that had been built between them. He didn't know what he would do if he lost that. He didn't think he'd survive it. Hell, he knew he wouldn't survive it. She was the only thing that was keeping him going day after day.

So, with a nearly inhuman effort, Lyon tamped down his growing desire, slowing his breathing and pushing himself the smallest bit away from her. It nearly killed him to keep himself away. He didn't want to leave her soft body. But he knew he would never be able to stop himself if he didn't and more than anything, he didn't want to ruin what had already been built between them.

Lucy counted her own breaths as she tried to regain control over herself. She didn't know what had just happened, or why he had stopped, but she was oddly thankful for it. Somehow, she felt more human now. Feelings she hadn't felt in weeks, some she hadn't ever felt, returned to her and it was with profound relief that she realized she could still feel normal emotions. And with that in mind, she let herself drift off into a dreamless sleep.

To be continued

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><p><strong>Well that was cozy.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, this one was one hell of a doozy. You'll see why in a minute, but first, I'd just like to repeat again how much your support means to us. Nicole4211 and I love reading your thoughts and feelings about the chapters we post and the direction we're taking with this story. We hope you'll continue reading and that you'll keep dropping reviews to let us know how we're doing.**

**And now...to the reading!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 9<strong>

Hours later, Lucy was once more sitting beside Lyon choking down the mush that passed for food around there. Her afternoon session in the Hell Room had been strangely absent from their schedule, and she found herself worrying at the sudden change. Of course, she was relieved at being able to go the entire day without them shoving all manner of gadgets into her sore body, but she couldn't help wondering what they had planned next.

She had no illusions that their ordeal was over. These men weren't going to simply let her and Lyon leave, even if they somehow managed to get what they wanted. The only way out of this place was their guilds finding them or Lucy and Lyon miraculously coming up with a plan to escape.

So what was their deal? Was this some form of trickery?

"I just don't get it," she finally said, forcing the last of her dinner down. "Why haven't they come for me?"

Lyon grimaced with his own swallow, then shook his head. "I don't know. It can't be anything good."

He'd been thinking about it too and could find no good reason for the neglect. Raeden seemed to have a real hard on for this to succeed, so Lyon couldn't see him giving up already. That could only mean he had a new plan.

He sighed aloud, glancing over at Lucy. Her brow was knit with concern, her teeth tugging nervously at her lower lip. He hated it. They already had so much to deal with, and he couldn't stand that she was being given even more reason to worry.

Reaching out, he set his hand on her knee, giving it a little squeeze. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Just like before. Right?"

Lucy looked down at his hand and smiled. He always found a way to calm her. She wasn't really sure if it was the smooth sound of his voice or his soft touch. Maybe it was the understanding she could always see in his eyes. She let her own hand cover his, threading their fingers together and nodded, lifting her gaze. "Right."

"Good, now how about we get our minds off things?" he suggested, brushing his thumb across the side of her hand. "How about another game of..."

Suddenly, the outer door creaked open, and his head turned. Were they coming to get the bowls...or were they coming for Lucy? His throat tightened as Lucy shivered, her fingers closing around his in a nearly painful grip. He could only imagine what she was feeling right now, knowing there was a chance they were going to take her away.

He slid closer to her shaking form, pressing his body reassuringly into her side, hoping it would be enough to remind her she wasn't alone. He wouldn't lie to her. He couldn't. They were in this together, and they had come too far to ruin it with half-truths.

Lucy shuddered, anxiety closing her throat with an alarming swiftness. She didn't want to go. She'd tried so hard not to hope, tried not to trust that she was getting a free pass, but apparently, she had only been marginally successful. Because now, she didn't know what to do with the crushing disappointment overtaking her.

She closed her eyes, forcing down a wail of frustration, and let her head tip over onto Lyon's shoulder. He took the weight silently, offering his support with only a subtle tightening of his hand, and she stuffed down a sob, focusing only on him. His scent, his strength. She let everything he was seep into her thoughts and push everything else out. She could do this. She could take it just like every other day. She just had to think of him.

Lyon could feel the moment she moved past her fear and disappointment, and he couldn't have been more proud of her. It was a horrible thing they had to bear, but she was doing it. She faced it day in and day out, keeping a smile on her face and an optimistic view on their future. He didn't know how she did it, because every day for him was a fight to keep believing.

He turned his head, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead just as two men appeared in front of the door to their cell. It was the men from before, the ones who'd fought him and tried to hit Lucy when she'd attempted to help him. He scowled. He didn't want to hand Lucy over to them. They'd already proven their displeasure with the blonde and would certainly want their revenge on Lucy for getting them in trouble with the large man who'd stopped them before.

Sure enough, the man she'd faced before stepped through the door with a smirk, his face alight with cruelty. He looked so pleased with himself, like he'd been given the okay to teach Lucy a lesson, and before Lyon could stop himself, he'd shifted in front of her, trying to block as much of the man's view as possible.

The brute grinned wickedly and bent to retrieve their bowls. "Look at that, Hank. He thinks we're here to take the little bitch back."

His partner, the man he called Hank gave a snide laugh in response, then leered down at Lyon. "Don't worry, Big Boy. She's in the clear tonight."

The two shared a laugh, and Lyon eyed them with suspicion. The two men seemed to find the whole situation amusing, and that made him cautious. Why would they be so happy about this? He had no doubt this particular pair of men wanted her hurt, so why...

His stomach dropped as he realized the reason. There could only be one. What was coming for her, for them, was worse than what they had faced already. He glanced back behind him and found Lucy's eyes wide, her face flooding with dread. She'd come to the same conclusion as him.

"Oh they're getting it now!" Hank howled, his lips curled into a harsh grin.

His partner snickered, then turned to leave the room, and Lucy couldn't hold herself back. She had to know. She couldn't just sit there all night wondering what atrocities awaited them.

"Wait! What are you going to do with us?!"

The larger of the two men snorted gleefully at her, letting her see just how excited he was for what was to come. "Oh I'm not going to do anything with you, darlin'. But ol' Raeden's got plans..." He paused for a minute, his smile creeping up as he stretched out his explanation. "You see...tomorrow you'll both be going back."

Lucy drew back at his words. They were both going back? At the same time? "What..."

"Oh she doesn't get it." Hank rolled his eyes, then smirked. "Let me explain it to you, sugar. See...you aren't going to be tested every other day. No, you and your lover boy there are going back to play with Raeden every 12 hours now. Get it? Time table's been moved up."

Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. Every twelve hours? How would they ever survive that?

The two men laughed once more, then exiting the cell with a loud clang of the door and one last jab. "Better get your rest ladies, cause tomorrow the fun starts!"

Lyon shook with barely restrained fury, everything in him aching to go after them. He wanted to rip them apart for finding such joy in his and Lucy's pain. He longed to have his magic once more, even if for just one instant so he could send them both straight to hell.

But all that left his mind when a choking sound caught his attention. He turned and found Lucy, her chest heaving, her breathing going erratic. She seemed frozen, her mind and body stuck in some kind of horrified state. "Oh God..."

"Lucy?" he asked, reaching out for her.

The moment he touched her, she collapsed. It was like someone had cut her strings, and she sank into herself, her head dropping pitifully into her hands and her body shaking as she burst into tears.

"Twelve hours...twelve hours?" she repeated, unable to stop the words. They were a mantra playing out a cruel tune in her head, and suddenly, it felt like they started a count down. A clock ticking down, and every minute that passed was one step closer to their demise. "What are we going to do? How can we survive that?"

Lyon had never seen her so frantic before. In spite of all they'd been through, he'd never seen her lose it so badly, and it sent a sharp pain straight through his chest. "Lucy..." He reached for her, drawing her face up, and nearly wept at the devastation in her eyes. "Angel, don't do this. We'll get through it like we always do. Remember?"

"How? How can we get...through this? We can barely handle going back every other day!" She shook her head as tears streaked down her cheeks. She'd tried so hard to keep her faith, to trust that they'd make it through everything, but this was too much. It was too hard. "They're going to kill us..."

"Don't say that!" Lyon choked out, the idea of losing her causing tears to blur his vision. His heart twanged painfully in his chest, and with a desperate huff, he pulled her into his arms, tightening his hold until he there was no space left between them. He couldn't bear to think of her not being here with him, not hearing her voice, not seeing that smile. "Don't don't even think something like that..."

Lucy couldn't scarcely breathe within his strong embrace, but she didn't care. She needed it to feel grounded. Already it seemed like it was all slipping away, like _she_ was drifting away. It felt like she was right on the verge of losing everything all over again. Her family, her friends...Lyon. She clutched at him, her fingers latching onto his clothing as if he was the last stable place in the world, and at this moment, he was. He was all she had, and they were going to take him away.

A sob shot from her mouth at the thought, and she clung tighter to him. She couldn't lose him now. She'd only just found him. She'd only just found out he loved spicy food and sucked at cards...she'd only just realized how much she cared about him.

A growing sense of panic crept its way into Lyon's mind, and he could no longer keep his calm, not with Lucy heaving so pitifully against him this way. She was so heartbroken, so bereft, and he couldn't stand it any more. Each tearful cry was like a bullet straight to his heart, eviscerating the aching muscle with its constant attack.

Unwilling to continue standing by while she fell apart, he grabbed for her, lifting her head from its place against his chest. "Lucy, please stop." Pressing kiss after kiss across her ravaged face, he whispered to her, pleaded with her to stop breaking his heart this way. "Don't do this to me..."

Lucy sobbed at the look in his eyes, knowing she had put that worry there, but she couldn't help the fear inside her. She'd never been so afraid in her life. The thought of something happening to Lyon was too much for her. Somehow, he had come to mean _so much_.

"Lyon..."

His name was a soft utterance, nothing more than the fraction of a sound, but he heard it all the same. It was a request, one so full of emotion, one so heart-wrenchingly full of need that he couldn't resist. His eyes fell on her lips, and his mouth followed. Within the space of a single moment, he was kissing her.

So consumed with her, it took him a moment to realize she wasn't responding, but when he did, he jerked back. He couldn't believe he'd done that. How could he have kissed her when she was in such obvious turmoil? She needed his comfort, not that.

Lucy sat there, unable to form two coherent syllables. He'd kissed her. Dear Mavis, he'd kissed her, and it had felt so good. In that brief moment, he had stopped her tears, pushed back the sorrow that had threatened to overwhelm her, and she wanted that back. She wanted to feel more of that rush, more of the fire that had burst inside her gut at his kiss. She needed it.

"Lucy, I'm sor-"

His words were cut off as Lucy grabbed at his head and pulled him back in. She sealed her lips over his, forcing his apology to retreat, but Lyon pushed her back, shaking his head. "Lucy, wait. We shouldn't be doing this. You're upset and scared, and..."

Lucy wouldn't be denied though. She knew what he was thinking, that she was only reacting to the fear she'd felt, but that wasn't it. She wouldn't lie and say this situation didn't have her thinking they didn't have much time, but she'd felt this want for him before all that.

She raised up on her knees and pressed her lips to his again. "Please Lyon...I need you."

Lyon swallowed hard at the heat her words caused. Did she mean that the way it sounded? He didn't think he'd never wanted anyone more, but this place...what they'd been through. He felt like he'd be taking advantage of her in such an emotional moment, but the truth was he needed her too.

He reached for her again, his mouth falling hard on hers and igniting an instant blaze inside his body. He wrapped his arms securely around her waist, pulling her flush with his body, and she came willingly, arching into him with a moan. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard, easily pushing him past his limits.

It demolished his control, and he found himself pushing those hideous clothes off her body. He wanted to see her, this woman who so easily ravaged his discipline, who had in the midst of turmoil somehow managed to creep her way into his heart. She was astounding to him, beautiful, but so much more. She was strong and smart, brave and kind. She was everything a man like him could ever want.

Lucy felt like she was flying, like Lyon had taken her up into the air, swept her away from all this madness and set her free. In this moment, with his hands gliding across her bare skin, she knew freedom again. Her body was her own once more - to give, to take.

Because of him, she could feel something other than pain, something more than fear. She was overcome with emotion, flooded with sensation, wrought with passion. And it was all for him, all for this startling man who'd slipped so calmly into her soul.

He took his time with her, savoring the feel of her flesh beneath his fingers, the taste of her on his tongue. He wanted her to surround him, to take the essence of this beautiful angel and wrap it around himself until he could see and smell and feel nothing else. The world could fall away, disappear for all he cared so long as he had her with him like this.

Lucy gasped as Lyon brushed a hand down her side, his fingers touching briefing over the tops of her shorts. He paused in his perusal, looking up as if to ask for her permission, and she nodded, raising up so he could slide the scant bit of cloth over her hips.

Finally, she was naked before him, and Lyon took a moment to look his fill. He wished there was more light, imagined seeing her this way beneath the first rays of sunlight, and then he reached for her. His hand glided over her flat belly, slipping up to the swell of her breast. She was beautiful, even with the weight she'd obviously lost during their stay.

She shivered at his touch and bent down to kiss him again. The look in his eyes was one she'd never seen before, awe and something else, something she didn't recognize. But there was also heat, desire, and that she understood because it was lighting her up inside, churning her stomach into a mass of flames.

She moaned as Lyon grasped her breasts, his calloused hands massaging and pressing into the sensitive globes. She lifted unsteady hands to his shirt, unable and unwilling to wait any longer to feel him beneath her fingers. He raised his arms for her, and she eased the offending article from his body, dropping it to the floor behind him.

A rasp of sound filtered up from Lyon's chest as Lucy traced over his pecs, her nimble fingers exploring and lighting upon every inch of his torso until he was almost shaking with need. He had to have her, had to feel her body encompassing him in her warmth.

He grabbed at her hands, sliding them down to his own pants. Though he was desperate for her, he wanted her to make the choice. He never wanted her to regret this moment, so he gave her command. Stop or go, it was her decision.

And she chose to keep going. She didn't want to stop, didn't want the sensations he'd awoken in her to ever stop. She gripped the top of his shorts in her hands, and Lyon looked up at her as he lifted his hips. She had no doubts, no fears about him. He was what she wanted, and as she stripped away the last of his clothes, she knew she'd never change her mind.

Lyon watched in amazement as Lucy moved back toward him, an expression of utter contentment on her face. He could see no worries there, no uncertainty about what they were about to do, and that sent warmth flaring up in his chest. He pulled her back toward him, threading a hand in her golden hair as he dove at her mouth.

She moaned into his mouth, and Lyon drew her in tighter, trapping her breasts against his chest. His hand slid along her thigh, making a path to her hip, and he gave her a little tug. He knew they couldn't make love the traditional way. No matter much he ached to press her back onto the floor and bury himself between her legs, he wouldn't. He would still have her, but in a way that wouldn't hurt her.

Lyon drew her body forward, helping her throw a leg over his lap, and then she was settled, her center pressing hot and wet over his arousal. He gazed down the length of her body and groaned at the sight of her creamy thighs spread wide and groaned.

How had he never seen how enticing she was? How had he missed such a treasure? He thought back over their time together, and couldn't believe it had only been weeks. It felt so much longer, almost a lifetime ago, that he had walked that path with her as almost strangers, and now...everything had changed.

It was crazy. Even as she climbed atop him, Lucy knew it was all so crazy. Realistically, they had known each other for such a short time. In the real world, a couple weeks wasn't long enough to go so far, but here, in the dark, with such a bleak future looming ahead, she couldn't make herself care. She needed this, needed him.

For the first time in so long, she felt alive. It was like they had found a reprieve to the never-ending fear and pain in each other, and really it wasn't such a shock. He'd been there for her, been the only thing that kept her sane as she'd been ripped apart by their experiments. He was everything she'd needed, and now that their bodies were pressed so close together, she couldn't imagine this with anyone else.

Lyon slid his hands along her sides, relishing in the shiver that worked its way up her body. He couldn't seem to get enough of her, and as he kissed his way down her neck, he knew he'd never needed anyone more. She had been there for him in one of the hardest points in his life. She'd cared for him and brought him back time and time again when he'd felt like he was on the brink of insanity.

She'd saved him, and she was doing it again.

When they'd heard that they would be taken back more frequently, his gut had twisted with dread, and he'd wanted nothing more than to rage at the unfairness of it all. But Lucy had fallen apart, and it had taken all he had not to cry at the despair in her voice. It had broken something inside him to see her that way, but the moment their lips had touched, all the fear, all the pain was gone, replaced in an instant with something so incredible. Warmth...the likes of which he'd never known, and peace.

He'd never felt this way before, never ached for a woman the way he did now. He thought he'd known desire before, but the heat within his body ran roughshod over every paltry spurt of lust he'd known in the past. Lucy had brought something else out in him, a wealth of need he couldn't control, and from the way she writhed over him, it looked like he'd done the same for her.

They were connected, more than friends, shooting straight past family and into something deeper. In that moment, they were like one soul, beaten down from fighting for survival but no longer broken. They were free, their bodies finding solace in each other, their hearts reaching out to give and receive comfort.

It was the most intense sensation Lucy had ever felt, and she found herself giving in to it. She arched as his lips swept over the swell of her breast, brushing over every inch of the mound until finally, he reached the center. He drew the puckered tip into his mouth, suckling at her like a man starved, and Lucy couldn't stop the moan that spilled up her throat.

It was beautiful and wild, both stirring and sating the need inside her. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. She could only feel as he spun wave after wave of pleasure throughout her body.

"Lyon..."

That breathy cry of his name had Lyon bucking under her, his handle on his body cut short at the impassioned plea. Never had a sound so enticed him, and before he knew it, he was helping her raise up so he could line himself up beneath her. She waited only for him to nudge her entrance before she sank down over top of him, and Lyon could only hiss at the feel of her closing around him.

He gripped at her hips, fighting for control and praying for the strength to give her all she needed. His body was weak from what they'd done to him, but his will would not let him fail. He had to see her come apart, had to just this once know the glory of pushing her over the edge.

Lucy stilled just shy of completely impaling herself on his shaft. She was a virgin, and this was going to hurt. It was that final moment to change her mind, the last chance a girl got to stop, but as she looked down into his dark eyes, she knew she wouldn't. This was it, the moment she'd waited for, and he was the only man she could imagine giving such a gift to.

Her mind sure and her heart full, she slammed herself down and gasped at the flare of pain that took her breath. It was nothing like she'd imagined, only a twinge compared to what they'd been through so far, and as the minute pain dispersed, she drew herself back up, the ache between her legs crying out for more.

Lyon groaned as Lucy rode him, her beautiful breasts swaying before his face like the most erotic fantasy and his throbbing member slipping in and out of her narrow channel. He could scarcely believe this was real, that this incredible woman had given herself to him. She'd never been with a man, and maybe he should be ashamed for taking such a precious thing in this place, but he could feel nothing but awe and a deep abiding sense of pride that she'd chosen him.

"Lucy..." Her name burst from his mouth like a prayer, a plea that she never stop, never go away. He didn't want this to ever end. He didn't want the haze of this moment to abate and leave them both back in the hell that had become their reality.

He pulled her tight against him, taking her lips once more and kissing her with all the fire she'd set inside him. He laved her with attention, plundering her mouth with his tongue as he thrust up into her sex. He couldn't get close enough, and as she clutched at him, he knew it was the same for her. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she held on tight, crushing her breasts into his chest.

They rocked together, their bodies joining and separating at a steadily increasing pace, and Lucy could feel the pull deep within her. She'd heard enough to know an orgasm was coming, and as the first notes played in the pit of her belly, she whimpered. She felt like she was riding the edge of something incredible, something words would never be able to describe.

"Oh God..."

Lyon knew the moment she was near her end, and he slung an arm around her waist, helping her move faster until she hit her peak. It wasn't long before she was wrenching away with a gasp, her eyes squeezing shut and a violent shudder rocking her slight frame. He held on tight, keeping a steady rhythm as he forced down his own need. He didn't want this over so soon. He just needed a little longer.

Lucy sagged against him, her legs not quite ready to help her continue, but Lyon didn't seem bothered by it. If anything, it seemed to spur him on, pushing him to drive up into her more fully. Deeper and deeper, he went, using his arm to draw her into his thrusts, and before long, she was humming with pleasure and moving with him once more.

She'd never felt so much, and she didn't mean just the physical. Sharing this moment with Lyon was a pleasure all on its own, one she knew she'd never forget as long as she lived...however long that was. She was grateful to have had this time with him, and if they never made it out of this place alive, she couldn't regret what they'd done together. He'd given her something in this place she hadn't thought she'd find.

Lyon looked up and felt his breath catch at the look in her eyes. It was something he hadn't thought to ever see on her face, and as his heart raced in his chest, he reached up to cup her cheek. He brought her face to his, keeping his eyes on hers, and he kissed her. He put everything he had into that touch, every fear and worry, every hope and joy. He needed her to know that she'd done that. She'd given him peace in this place, brought happiness into his life despite the place they'd found themselves in.

She'd made it bearable, made hell feel a little less lonely, and that was something remarkable. She was a treasure he'd not known existed. He wondered if he'd have ever seen it if they hadn't been taken. Would he have ever known what beauty hid underneath her lovely exterior, or would he have continued to miss the signs?

He'd like to think they would have found themselves like this one day even if they hadn't been taken. They'd been enjoying themselves the day of the festival. He could still see it in his mind - the laughing, the teasing. Maybe they'd been on their way.

Lucy let her eyes drift closed, allowing the sensations to take her away. She was consumed by them, by Lyon and his touch, his taste. He was everything in this brief space of time, and she couldn't help wondering where they'd be now had their capture not happened. Would they have enjoyed their evening at the festival, then gone separate ways? Or would they have seen something between them and tried for more?

All at once, the heat rose up inside her, and she clung to Lyon, trying breathlessly to swim in the sea of pleasure that swept through her body. She felt like she was climbing a great swell, one that kept lifting her higher and higher, tightening everything south of her belly button, and she pressed her lips harder to his.

Lyon was nearly ready to explode, his body weeping with the need to let go, but he held harshly to his control, begging for a few moments more. She was so close, her walls squeezing tighter and tighter around him, and then it happened. She whimpered, clearly desperate for climax, and in the next moment, she was crying out, her soft voice drowned out by the effect her rippling sheath had on him.

He grit his teeth at the exquisite torture and drove up like a man possessed. He needed this, needed to cum with her, and between one stroke and the next, he let himself go. His balls drew up, feeling like a vice had closed around them, and then he came, his shaft buried deep inside her heat.

He kept his hold on her, not ready to let go, but let himself relax and become gentle, ever mindful of the wounds on her back. He had been careful not to touch her in that place, and it had been hard. He'd wanted to run his hands up the expanse of her back as they made love, feel every inch of her beneath his fingertips, but he couldn't hurt her, especially not for something so selfish.

Lucy hummed, enjoying the boneless quality of her body right then as she drooped against him. For the moment, she could no longer feel the pain in her back or the weariness of her bones. She was just a woman, a woman who'd made love for the first time, and that felt glorious.

She didn't has any misgivings about what they'd done. No, if anything, she was glad it had happened, and as Lyon lifted a hand and angled her head back up, she knew she wanted more.

"Are you alright?"

Lucy smiled at his concern, then brushed her lips back over his once more. "Yes, I'm very alright. I'm sure I'll be sore later, but for now, I'm good."

Lyon grinned, feeling his chest swell. He'd been afraid she would regret being with him, especially in a situation such as theirs, but her smile had been easy and remarkably peaceful about the whole thing. It had sent instant relief flooding his system, and he had to laugh. "Good."

Lucy would have liked to have fallen asleep naked beside him, loath to separate herself from him even by clothes, but that wasn't an option. They weren't home, weren't free to be and do what they wanted, and she needed to remember that. So, with an aggrieved sigh, she pulled herself away and began to dress.

Seeing the direction her mind had taken, Lyon did the same, then stretched himself out on their slight bed and held his arms open for her. "Come on, Angel. Let's get some rest."

Though she smiled at his nickname for her, she said nothing in response, just curled in next to him, sliding an arm around his waist and breathing in deep. She knew he was right. What was coming was going to be hard, and they would need every ounce of strength they possessed to get through it.

Still, she knew they could do it...as long as they had each other.


	10. Chapter 10

***lifts hands into the air* please don't shoot me. I'm sorry. That took me way too long to update. I have no excuse other than... kdrama. Enough said. **

**Please enjoy everyone!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"Lyon…" His name was a quiet whisper from her lips, the sound filled with all the passion and longing that lingered inside her body. His hand skimmed along the curve of her waist, slipping beneath the thin shirt that still covered her body. Each caress tickled her senses and she shivered at the feeling, sparks zipping along her spine as his lips pressed tenderly to the pulse on her neck.

She hadn't felt so alive in weeks, months… maybe her entire life. Newly awakened feelings and sensations swarmed her senses and she couldn't seem to get enough of it. Every touch was like balm to her damaged spirit, his fingers sliding over her skin, her hands rubbing over thick muscle. She longed to pull his body over hers, feel his large frame capture her beneath him, but she didn't dare. The wounds on her back wouldn't allow it so she pressed her hand to the center of his chest and pushed him back, smiling in satisfaction when he rolled over easily and let her climb over his body.

He was so devastatingly gorgeous, large dark eyes that captivated her so completely with their warmth. His lips quirked up in a half smile and she dove towards them, capturing them in a heated kiss that left them both panting and breathless. He had her shirt half way up her body, his hands questing beneath when a sound made them both jump. Several pair's of feet shuffled down the dark hallway and Lucy slid off of Lyon, adjusting her clothing quickly. The warm feeling that had wrapped itself around her body rapidly evaporated, replaced with a growing dread and fear for what was about to come. In Lyon's arms it had been easy to forget their impending torture and she wished more than anything that she could climb back into them. Instead, her hand sought out his, their fingers intertwining as they waited.

"It'll be ok," he said quietly but with a firm edge to his voice. "We'll be together this time."

The thought both relieved and frightened Lucy. Would they really be together through it? Could she handle being with him? Thoughts of him safe inside the cell had been the only thing that had gotten her through it before. How was she going to survive having him going through it at the same time as her, knowing he was in as much pain as she was?

His grip tightened, giving her silent strength a moment before the men appeared in front of their cell. "Don't forget," Lyon whispered, kissing her cheek, "I need you."

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><p>Lucy felt the last piece being hooked up to her body and she took several deep breaths, waiting for that moment when her body would explode in pain. Beside her was Lyon, lying on a table exactly like her own except he was face up while she was face down. They were no more than a foot apart but with the restraints on their arms and legs, there was no way for either of them to touch each other, no way for them to reach out and hold each other through what was most certainly going to be hell on earth. But at least she could look. At least she could stare into those beautiful dark eyes of his which were filled with so much tenderness at this moment. It made her smile seeing him like that, knowing he was just as frightened as she but yet still trying to comfort her. He would get her through this, just like he always did. His strength would be the beacon of light that she needed to make it, guiding her back and then reviving her spirit. And she would do her damned best to do the same. She had to, because what else was there? There was only him and her and the sliver of hope that they still clung to.<p>

The machine clicked on and Lucy's muscles tightened, preparing herself for the pain that was coming. Her hands clenched into small fists and she looked over at Lyon, his own body tense. "See you soon, Angel," he mouthed and then everything went black.

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><p>For once, the queasy feeling residing in the pit of his stomach wasn't from the slowly rocking carriage but rather from the worry that had been constantly gnawing at him since his partner had disappeared several weeks ago. The hurt stung as badly as Igneel's departure, leaving an empty feeling behind that grew worse and worse as hope slowly faded away. But it wasn't all gone. A tiny glimmer still glowed in the recesses of his mind, bringing him to the reason he was on the journey he now found himself on, the reason he was traveling to some remote town on the whim of a possibility.<p>

They were all desperate though, not just him as they watched the town grow closer and closer. Gray sat silently, staring off at some remote point far away, his mind clearly just as distant. Erza was absently sharpening one of her swords, the dull scraping sound mimicking itself over and over. And Wendy sat in the corner holding Charle, her knee bouncing nervously so fast that he could hardly keep up with it. Nearly everyone in the guild had wanted to come, Lucy meaning so much to each and every member that the place had basically come to a stand still since she'd been gone. But Master had held everyone back, knowing it wouldn't be helpful to have so many people crowding one small village. He was the calm sense of reason that everyone needed in a time like this and although people weren't happy, everyone did as they were told and now Natsu and his team rolled alone into the quiet town, all of their hopes resting on this solitary place.

They came to a stop and quietly filed out of the wagon, Natsu's stomach doing a quick lurch as the swaying came to an end. The town was just like any other, people walking about, minding their own business and paying no attention to the group that just arrived.

Erza re-sheathed her long sword and put her hands on her hips as she looked around. "We need to split up," she said, her voice stern and calm. "Wendy, you go with Natsu down the south end of the town. Gray and I will take the north. Let's meet back here at that tavern in an hour."

Wordlessly the groups went their separate ways and Happy flew up on Natsu's shoulder, a place he had been more often lately, needing the comfort that the position offered. He'd taken it the hardest out of anyone it seemed, the poor Exceed spending most of the nights silently crying in his place beside Natsu's pillow, his small body becoming thinner while his eyes grew larger on his round face.

One by one they entered the small shops that lined the streets, questioning the workers inside and anyone who happened to be there as well. No one seemed to know a thing about the man that was supposedly attempting to become a mage, or had any recollection of a blonde or white haired mage. They were helpful though, some pointing them in directions where they thought that someone might know something more. Unfortunately, nothing panned out. By the time they reached the last shop on the block, their hopes were dwindling. No one seemed to have heard the same rumor Jellal had. But it had to have started somewhere. Someone in this town must know something…

"Natsu? Wendy…?"

The Fairy Tail mages whipped their heads around at the familiar voice and Wendy gasped excitedly, "Chelia!"

The pair ran together, throwing their arms around one another while Natsu walked up to Jura. "What are you guys doing here?" he inquired, adjusting the straps from his bag over his shoulders.

"I was just about to ask you the same question."

The girls finished embracing and re-joined the guys. "Are you here looking for Lucy and Lyon as well?" Chelia asked.

Natsu nodded. "We heard something about a guy here that wanted to become a mage and we decided to investigate it. Unfortunately we haven't been able to find anything yet."

Jura and Chelia exchanged glances and then Wendy spoke up, "But Erza and Gray are on the other side of town and they might have heard something. We're supposed to meet back up with them soon."

"Good," Jura said, "I have some news as well but I'd rather wait to say it till everyone is together."

Several minutes later, everyone met inside the tavern, Erza and Gray having no better luck than Natsu and Wendy. The place was on the quiet side, it still being only just past mid-afternoon, but none of them took seats, preferring to stand in the back corner near one end of the bar where a worker was wiping down some mugs.

"I must say, you guys are a welcome sight," Erza said, standing with arms crossed over her metal breastplate.

"We can say the same about you guys," Jura replied and continued, "Just before we left the guild, we sent word to Fairy Tail that we were on our way here. We had no idea you guys would already be here on your own."

"What have you heard?" Natsu asked, getting straight to the point.

Jura cleared his throat. "We hired someone who was able to hear the events of what happened the night they disappeared. From what he was able to gather, whoever took Lyon and Lucy, brought them here, to this town."

Every eye in the group widened and Gray asked, "He was able to 'hear' what happened? What do you mean?"

"I don't know much other than he was able to hear what happened that night. He found the exact spot they were attacked and what path they were brought on. It ended here, but he wasn't able to find anything further."

"So they were attacked?" Erza asked.

Jura nodded. "He didn't think there was much of a struggle so I'm guessing whatever happened, it happened quick."

They were silent for a moment, each of them brooding over what little they knew.

"This is a good sign," Erza said. "Both sources of intel have brought us here. There has to be someone here that knows something."

"But we've asked everyone in town about this rumor. No one has heard anything," said Wendy in her quiet little voice, her head turned down.

"No one's asked me," the man behind the bar spoke up, interrupting the group. Every head whipped around and looked at the man who gave them an easy shrug. "Just thought you might want to ask the bartender whose job it is to listen to people."

Jura was the first to say something. "Have you heard anything about our friends?"

The man continued to wipe glasses clean as he answered, "Who are your friends?"

Both Jura and Erza took out pictures of the pair, holding them up for the man who looked at them for a moment and then shook his head. "Sorry, haven't seen them before but you said they are mages right?"

They all nodded their heads at once.

"You know," he said thoughtfully and continued, "there was a guy in here, not so long ago, who was talking about a guy he was working for who was trying to turn himself into a mage. I found that a bit odd so it kind of stuck out in my head when you mentioned they were mages."

Hope bloomed on all the groups' faces and Erza pressed further, "Did he say anything else? Did he mention where this guy was working or…"

The man shook his head, interrupting her. "Sorry, the guy didn't say much else. He was all sorts of depressed about his sister and I was actually surprised he told me that much. But I did see the direction he went when he left… if that's any help."

"Anything would be helpful right now," Gray said.

Putting down the mug he'd been cleaning, the man walked around the bar and headed for the entrance to the tavern. Everyone followed and as soon as they were back out in the street, the man pointed towards the east. "He got into a wagon with some other fellows and they headed that way, along that path towards the mountain."

Natsu pumped his fist, a warm feeling creeping through his body. "Alright, I'm all fired up!" he exclaimed, hope budding in his chest. This was the most information they'd had since the night it had all happened and he couldn't wait to get started.

"Thank you sir. We are deeply indebted to you," Jura said but the man just shrugged away his comment.

"No worries. It was my pleasure. Good luck finding your friends."

As one the group thanked the man and then gathered together, a spark in all of their eyes that hadn't been there just a few minutes earlier. They finally had something to go with and although it wasn't much, it was enough. They had a purpose now and they set off with a sense of determination and renewed hope guiding their steps.

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><p>Lucy blinked her eyes slowly open, her body limp as her limbs were dragged off the hard table. Between flashes of her eyelids she could catch glimpses of Lyon, sprawled on the table next to her, his face contorted in pain. With every ounce of energy inside of her, she reached for him, willing her arm to lift up as she was carried through the room with her feet sliding lifelessly across the floor. Her fingers extended and grasped fruitlessly at the air, falling to her side in a failed attempt that brought a sob to her lips.<p>

"Lyon," she breathed, the sound choked in sadness.

The arms holding her body carried her relentlessly forward, pulling her through the doorway and down a dark hall... away from Lyon. Fingers crept like spiders along her ribs, delving beneath her shirt and causing alarm bells to ring inside her head. She tried to wrench away but her body wouldn't listen, her muscles completely spent.

"No," she pleaded. This couldn't be happening. Hadn't she been tortured enough? The machine had raped her from the inside, tearing her apart. Was she going to receive the same torment in a different form?

The cold fingers slid up beneath her breast, curling over the mound like slimy tentacles. She whimpered helplessly, trying to summon up just a little bit more energy so that she could rip herself away. But her body wouldn't listen. She was helpless and she sent a silent prayer up for...

"Get the fuck off of her," a deep voice demanded. The fingers halted their progress, coming to a stop as she was suddenly heaved up into the air and cradled in strong arms.

Lucy rolled her head to the side and found her perpetrator standing in front of them, his hunched body no more than a few feet away. His mismatched eyes glared at the man holding her and Lucy felt a shiver go through her body at that look.

"I told you before not to touch her. Now back off."

There was a tense moment of silence between the two but Lucy was beyond being able to follow what was going on. Her body was shutting down, doing the only thing it could do to survive and when the cold, flattened mat pressed against her back she groaned at the pain and turned onto her side.

Blackness descended like frost on a window, creeping from the recesses of her mind and slowly covering each corner, working its way inside till there was only a small fragment left to see through. She wanted that blissful nothingness, wanted to drown in the void of painless sleep but she couldn't, she had to see Lyon. She needed to know he was ok, needed him beside her so that her dreams wouldn't be quite as tormented.

Her ears perked up at a noise down the hall, feet shuffling over stone and coming to a halt just outside the cell. She opened her eyes and felt her entire body sigh in relief. He was here. His body collapsed on to the floor and he moaned helplessly in pain but his eyes, his eyes found hers and nothing else seemed to matter.

They found each other, their bodies coming together, arms circling one another and hands grasping desperately to clothing. Lucy was too tired to cry, but if she had even an ounce of energy left, she'd be drenching the front of his shirt where her face was pressed tightly against. His arms were heaven, so warm and so gently strong. And the last thing she heard before she fell into a numbing sleep was Lyon's faint voice, "My angel."

To be continued...


	11. Chapter 11

_I have to apologize to you all. I can't believe it's been 9 months since I wrote for this story. I truly never meant for it to be so long. Things just got busy, and I got distracted. I hope this longer chapter will serve as an apology and a means of showing you that I'm serious about continuing to work hard on it._

_A big thank you as well to my Bestie, __**Nicole4211**__, for being so patient with me too. I love you more than you could ever know!_

_Since it has been so long since our last update, here is a quick overview of what is going on..._

Lyon and Lucy were captured by a man wishing to steal their magic power and use it himself to become a mage. Throughout their captivity, the two have grown close, becoming romantically attached. Their situation has created an almost desperate need for each other, relying on each other for strength and sanity when they are flirting on the edge of life and death.

Meanwhile, their friends are on a mad search, hunting down every clue they can find. Team Natsu, as well as members from Lamia Scale have finally found a promising path and are on their way to save their friends. But will they be too late?

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><p><span><strong>CAPTIVITY<strong>

**Chapter 11**

Lucy awoke to the sound of footsteps, and with a low groan, she sat up and looked toward the front of the cell. Someone was coming, and at least one of them needed to awake and alert enough to warn the other of what was coming. She had no way of knowing just how much time had passed since the last time they'd been in the Hell Room, but she could only hope it wasn't time again already.

Her body throbbed in the places they'd inserted the spikes from their machine, and if the slight damp feeling on the back of her shirt was any indication, she was still raw and bleeding. Lyon too was in no position to endure another bout with that dreaded machine. Glancing at his body, she found his wounds still trickling blood as well.

Surely, it couldn't be time yet.

The noise grew until the massive man who'd saved her from Vane came into view. In his hands were twin bowls, filled with the same nasty food they'd consumed since their arrival, and Lucy gently removed herself from Lyon's grasp to accept the offering. She made her way silently to the metal bars, her eyes considering the man before her.

She couldn't figure out why he'd helped her, why he'd kept Vane from assaulting her in her weakened state. Wasn't he the enemy? Wasn't he like all the others who cared not an ounce for their captives' well-being?

It was all so confusing to her. He was one of the bad guys, and yet, he'd spared her more than once. Somehow, this man - this Cain - wasn't like the others. There was more to him than she'd originally thought.

Saying nothing, he reached through the bars, handing over their food and turned to make his way back down the hallway, when Lucy stopped him with a simple, "Thank you."

He looked back over his shoulder, his eyes going wide with surprise at her quiet statement. "Excuse me?"

Lucy met his gaze with her own and felt her lips turning up just a bit. This man, no matter who he was, had saved her from being beaten and then again from being raped, and that had earned him her gratitude. Whatever the reason for his assistance, he had done her a great kindness, and Lucy had never been the type to turn her nose up at that.

"Thank you for stopping him. And for stopping that other man before that." She watched his eyes narrow in confusion and wondered if no one had ever shown him something as common as simple appreciation before. "You didn't have to help me, and you did. So thanks."

Cain shifted uncomfortably under her heavy gaze, then grunted a soft, "Sure," before heading out the way he'd come.

The door slammed shut a moment later, and Lucy was once more left with her thoughts until a voice called out to her from behind.

She spun and felt relief fill her up at the sight of Lyon sitting up, his face only marginally creasing from the pain of their latest ordeal. Moving over to his side as quickly as she could without hurting herself, Lucy set down their bowls and lifted a hand to his face. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?"

Lyon nodded, waving aside her concern as he studied her. "I'm alright. What did you mean before?"

"When?" Lucy's head tipped. Was he talking about something she'd said before they went to the Hell Room?

"What you said to him," the white-haired man said, nodding his head in the direction Cain had gone. "What did you mean when you said he stopped someone?"

All at once, Lucy realized what he was getting at, and shame flooded her mind. She hated the thought of telling him what that vile man had tried to do to her when she was so vulnerable, but the idea of lying to Lyon was out of the question. They were in this together. They had been from the very beginning, and she wouldn't tarnish the trust they'd built by keeping things from him now.

Sighing deeply, she looked down. "The man that took me out of the Hell Room…the creepy looking one…" She paused, swallowing at the thought of what might have happened if Cain hadn't intervened. "He…He tried to…"

"He tried to what, Lucy?" Fury burst into Lyon's gut, souring the already fragile state of his bowels. The thought of such a despicable man putting his hands on Lucy was more than he could bear. He reached for her, his hands holding tightly to her shoulders. "Did he hurt you?"

He felt frantic, frightened beyond belief that Lucy had been violated in such a way. In that moment, he would have happily murdered that revolting bastard, and he wouldn't have lost a moment's sleep. Lyon could live out the rest of his days with that man's blood on his hands and never feel a moment's regret.

"No!" Lucy cried, lifting her eyes and grabbing onto Lyon's wrists. "He didn't. I swear! He started to…but Cain stopped him."

The fear and agony on Lyon's face was too much, struck her like a blow to the chest, and she leapt forward, throwing her arms around him and holding tightly. "I'm fine, Lyon. I promise."

Lyon shuddered against her, his arms sliding around her waist as he fought to rid his mind of his worry for her. He'd seen the way that son of a bitch looked at her, and it scared him that he hadn't even known Vane had tried anything until now. He'd been so out of it after coming off the machine that he'd barely even recognized that they'd brought him back to his cell.

Worse though was the knowledge that even if he had known, even if he'd been there to see it happening, there would have been nothing he could do to stop it. His body had been too weak to even support his own weight. There would have been no way for him to save Lucy himself, and that killed him. What if it happened again? What if next time, that man, Cain wasn't there to stop his sick partner?

His stomach roiled with fear, his muscles tensing until he could feel them beginning to cramp up. He hissed as a muscle in his back seized, the sound loud in the quiet room. His arms fell away, and he clenched his eyes shut as pain erupted in the wounds along his back.

"Lyon? Lyon! What's wrong?"

She'd felt him tense, and she'd thought he was just worried. But then he'd made that awful sound, and if the look on his face was anything to go by, he was in excruciating pain. Tears sprang to her eyes as she sat there, her hands uselessly stretched out toward him. She wanted to touch him, assure him she was there, but without knowing where he hurt, she was afraid to. She didn't want to make it worse.

Lyon cracked open an eye, fighting past the pain to try and ease Lucy's mind. He could hear the concern in her voice, and he didn't want that. Gritting his teeth, he mumbled, "S'okay. I'm fine."

"No, you're not," Lucy argued, her hand lifting in his direction only to flop back down to her lap in defeat as she cried.

It didn't take a genius to see the problem, and despite the agony in his back, Lyon reached for her hand. A low groan filtered out of his mouth as he pulled her closer. "Just a muscle spasm, Angel. Nothing to worry about."

But Lucy could see the sweat lining his forehead. She knew it wasn't nothing like he claimed it was. He was just trying to spare her some grief. "Where? What can I do to help?"

"Distract me."

"H-How?" There was nothing here! How was she supposed to keep his mind off of the pain? She scanned the room around them, her eyes landing on the box of playing cards Cain had given them. "You…you want me to get the cards?"

A laugh shot from Lyon's mouth, followed quickly by a whimper of distress. "No…not the cards. Just…just kiss me."

He wanted her to kiss him? Now, when he could barely move without wincing with pain? "Lyon…" She didn't think this was going to work. If anything, she was certain her touching him would only make it worse.

But Lyon was determined, and without another word on the subject, he reached out and pulled her head in, pressing his lips to hers with a low moan. One kiss…two…and he stopped, leaning his damp forehead against hers. "Please Angel. Take my mind off of it."

Her heart throbbing at his obvious discomfort, she nodded slowly. How could she deny him? His comfort was more important to her than anything, and if a kiss could stave off even a fraction of his pain, she would do it and more. Her hands lifted, grasping his face and easing their mouths back together. She kissed him gently, timidly, so afraid to hurt him.

But Lyon needed more. His back burned. Between the wounds they'd inflicted and the muscles around the sites flaring up, he was in agony, and somehow, he knew only Lucy could take it away.

His mouth moved insistently against hers, deepening the kiss until he could no longer feel anything but the woman in his arms. He let the taste of her pull him away from it all, let the sound of her soft moan block out the misery wreaking havoc on his body.

Despite her concern, Lucy felt her body come to life, that unmistakable heat bursting in her belly, and she couldn't stop a moan from easing up her throat. She shouldn't be letting this happen. He was in pain, and going any further could only hurt him more. But she was weak, like putty in his hands, and she couldn't bring herself to pull away.

Relief speared through Lyon as the last of his pain began to ebb, and he shifted against Lucy, testing his back out and nearly groaned aloud at the lack of pain he felt. Now all that was left was this incredible woman in front of him and that same overwhelming desire to feel her skin to skin.

She pulled back with a breathy sigh. "Lyon…I don't want to hurt you."

"You didn't," he muttered, peppering her mouth with short, sweet kisses. "You fixed me."

Lucy closed her eyes as Lyon pulled her into his lap and began kissing down the column of her neck. There was a reason they shouldn't be doing this. She knew there was, but at that moment, the information wouldn't come. It was stuck inside of her, blocked by the waves of hunger he'd inspired in her body.

Suddenly, a loud screech sounded down the hall, a sure-fire indication that someone was coming, and it finally hit Lucy why they needed to stop. They were returning to collect their food bowls, and they hadn't even touched it yet.

"Shit." She scrambled out of his lap and reached for the plain dishes, thrusting one into Lyon's hands even as she commanded, "Hurry."

With the heat still swimming in Lyon's gut, he wasn't even sure he could swallow the revolting stuff, much less keep it own. All he could think about was Lucy's soft skin, her delectable lips. But he also knew they couldn't afford to skip the meals they were brought, not if they ever had a chance of breaking out of here.

So he pushed down his desire, shifting in place to block the view of his arousal from the front of the cell and forced down the sticky mess they'd given him. He gagged a time or two, but within seconds, it was all gone and he was placing his bowl atop Lucy's and preparing to stand to his feet.

Lucy stopped him with a pointed glance down at his lap, a blush flaring to life on her cheeks. "I'll do it."

All at once, he realized the issue, and with a bob of his head, he let her take them. It wouldn't do to have the guards knowing just how close they'd gotten. Who knew what they would do with that information.

The tall man from before met Lucy at the door of their prison and took the bowls from her hand. Once more, she offered him a smile, and not even a moment later, he glanced back down the hall before leaning in close.

"You need to get out of here...today."

Stunned at his sudden outburst, Lucy could only stare and sputter a quiet, "W-What?"

"Raeden's not going to let you go."

She knew that, of course. She and Lyon had known that almost from the beginning. Raeden hadn't really seemed like the kind of man that would go to all this trouble simply to fail. He was nothing if not determined to gain their magic, and if not theirs, then some other unfortunate soul's. Nodding her head at her unusual ally, she said, "We figured that."

A frustrated sigh came from the other side of the bars as Cain moved in closer. "You don't understand. He's going to keep you...for the rest of your life."

Lyon frowned as he made his way over beside Lucy. What exactly did this guy expect them to do? They were stuck in this cell with no magic and no weapons. They weren't even allowed out unless they were on their way to the Hell Room. On their own, they were sitting ducks. There was only one way they were getting out of this. "Then help us."

"I can't do that!" Cain took a harried glance back at the door again and then stepped back. "No, I've done too much already. You're just gonna have to figure it out, because he'll be back tomorrow, and you won't get another chance." With that cryptic statement, he walked off, pausing only a fraction of a second to call back, "You've got 2 hours."

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><p>Two nerve-wracking hours later, Lucy and Lyon had a plan. It was a shaky one, but with their lack of resources at the moment, it was just about the only thing they could do. Either way, this was the end of the line. Either they would succeed and escape with their lives, or they would die. There was no longer any other option, because living out the rest of their lives like this was inconceivable.<p>

Before long, Cain returned, and just behind him, Vane. The creepy man eyed Lucy as he always did, a wicked hunger in his eyes that set both Lucy and Lyon on edge. Stepping in front of her, the ice mage glared at the stringy-haired bastard. There was no way in hell he was touching her, not while he was there.

Vane grinned at Lyon's reaction, his shoulders shaking in a silent laugh as he looked toward his partner. Cain eyed the man with disgust, but followed the creep's directions when he nodded toward Lyon.

It took only that for Lyon to realize what was going on. They were taking him, and not Lucy. No, Cain was taking him, leaving Lucy alone with that freak! "No...No, don't do this!"

He pushed back against Lucy, his hands reaching back to grab hold of her and somehow secure her to him.

This couldn't be happening. He thought Cain was on their side. But he couldn't be if he was willing to put Lucy at risk by leaving her alone with that sick bastard! He looked up at the built man making his way toward him and pleaded, "You can't leave her alone with him." Lyon glanced past him to see a lecherous smile stretch across Vane's face and felt his stomach drop. He faced Cain again, hoping against hope to appeal to whatever shred of decency was left inside of him. "You know what he'll do to her! How can you help him?!"

Behind him, Lucy was breathing hard. Her heart was in her throat, her nerves already beginning to fray. How was she going to stop him? If Lyon was gone, and Cain wouldn't help, there would be nothing between her and that evil man. And with her strength already waning, how would she defend herself?

She swallowed hard as Cain suddenly grabbed for Lyon, easily ripping him away from her. "NO!"

She grabbed for him again, trying in vain to regain their connection, but Cain was already dragging Lyon toward the entrance of the cell. Weak as they both were, neither stood a chance against him. But that didn't mean they wouldn't try.

Lyon fought to get back to Lucy, fury and fear empowering his attacks, but nothing he did stopped what was happening. He felt tears pierce his eyes as hopelessness began to seep into his veins. He'd failed her. All he'd wanted throughout this whole thing was to protect her, and in the end, it wasn't enough.

A wail rent the air, and Lucy fell on the back of Cain, her tiny fists flying as she fought to free Lyon from his hold. The ice mage could see the terror in her eyes, and it sent a shot of violence through his veins. He struggled harder in Cain's grasp, fighting with all he had to get to her, to help her. But he was nothing against the stronger, healthier man. Right now, with no magic and a body weak from torture, he was no match for him.

Ducking his head at the sudden attack, Cain spun around, his eyes flashing as he grabbed hold of Lucy's neck and shouted, "Stop fighting me!"

Lucy sucked in a breath as she gazed up at him, certain she would see her death in his eyes. Instead, in those steely, intelligent eyes, she caught something she hadn't expected to find. Concern. He wasn't angry at all. He was...trying to tell her something.

She'd thought he'd turned on them, chosen to help Vane instead, but from what she could make out, he was still trying to help them. He hadn't switched sides at all. He was simply playing a part, buying time until he could get Lyon away from Vane.

It made sense. She knew what Vane wanted - what the disgusting man had wanted since the moment they'd been brought here - and if Raeden wasn't here to control him, there was no stopping him from what he planned to do. And so Vane needed Cain and Lyon out of the way. But that could work for them. If Cain got Lyon away from here, he could help him get his magic back. And then, Lyon would come for her. So, really, all they needed now was time.

She could give them that.

Looking up at Cain, she gave a subtle nod, then let herself go lax in his hold. She pushed a choking sound from her mouth, playing it up like he'd truly weakened her with his attack, and when he dropped her to the floor, she put on the best show of her life. She cried, great pitiful sobs as if her life was over, because she knew if this didn't work, it very well might be. She watched in agony as Lyon continued to thrash in Cain's hold, cursing and crying tears of his own as the larger man hauled him out of the cell and slammed the door.

In only moments, they were out of the room, and everything went quiet. She'd never heard anything more oppressive before in her life, but she couldn't afford to let fear take over. Lyon was depending on her. So she slowly stood to her feet and spoke, making sure her voice sounded fragile and weak. "W-What are you going to do to me?"

A dark smile lit Vane's face as he stepped up to the bars. It was clear to see in his eyes what he had planned, and Lucy nearly gagged at the thought of the man putting his hands anywhere near her. "Why?" she cried, wrapping her arms around her midsection and hunching in on herself. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He of course didn't respond. He couldn't, but Lucy caught the perverse pleasure he took in her agony. He was clearly a sadist, and a revolting one at that. Her only hope was that maybe he wasn't such a bright one. It was a shot in the dark, and she could only pray it would work.

She sniffled, letting her shoulders sag as she looked up at him. "Can I at least see my keys first?"

Vane shook his head, his face filling with glee as he denied her.

"Please! They're my friends, and...and I didn't even get to tell them goodbye!" She let a wail climb her throat, remembering every time she'd nearly lost her precious Spirits. She could see how much the bastard was enjoying her pain, but he still didn't seem inclined to grant her request. So she poured it on. She sank to her knees, folding her hands before her in supplication. "Please! I'm begging you. I won't cause you any problems. I'll...I'll be good." She watched as interest flared in his eyes, and she knew she had him. "I..." She paused dramatically, allowing another shuddering sob to come rolling out of her mouth, and then she whispered, "I...I won't fight you."

Her bottom lip trembled as if she'd finally given up, as if he'd broken her beyond repair. And she let him believe it, let him think she was would give herself over to him for his pleasure if only he'd grant this last wish. And to her surprise - and absolute disgust - he fell for it.

He left the room in a hurry, and Lucy waited for him to return. She didn't waver from the role she played, so afraid he would return and catch her before she could recover. So she kept up her tears, whimpering as if the world had fallen down around her. It was sad that she had so much material to draw from to further her breakdown. One day, she should probably talk to someone about that.

Minutes later, Vane scurried back through the door, a small box in his hands. He held it up victoriously, then moved to sit it down. But Lucy needed him to open it. That's the only way this would work.

A shaky cry fled her lips, and she asked, "Can't I see them?"

He studied her for a fraction of a second, then shook his head again. She wanted to curse, to rant and rave at him to open the goddamn box, but that wouldn't help her. He wanted a weak woman, one that made him feel superior, powerful. Railing at him would show him exactly how far from that she really was. So, with that in mind, she tried again. "Please, I have nothing left. I...I just want one more look before they're gone forever. You...you can do that, right? You're the one in charge. You can do whatever you want."

With every word she said, she could see him bowing up with pride, his ego stoked to epic proportions, but he wasn't quite there yet. She needed one last hook. "Please V-Vane..." Her voice trembled as she said his name, and she offered him an impassioned plea. "You're the only one that can do this for me."

He licked his lips as he eyed her prostrate form, and Lucy realized she might have to go further than she'd wanted. He wasn't as big a fool as he appeared, and if she couldn't convince him that she was his to command, then all was lost.

Swallowing down a surge of bile, she whimpered, "Please...I'll do anything. J-Just let me see them."

His eyes widened with arousal, and he did just what she knew he would do. He pinched at his shirt with two fingers, then pointed at her chest. She felt her stomach rebel at the thought of exposing her body to him, but she forced herself to remember what was riding on this. She could show him her breasts and trick him into setting Loke free, or she could take a chance on fighting to keep him from raping her if Lyon didn't make it back in time.

It wasn't even a choice. Her strength was all but gone. This was her only chance.

Pushing down her revulsion, she sat a little straighter, feeling tears pouring down her cheeks in earnest as she lifted the shirt from her body. Immediately, she threw her arms across her chest, but she knew, even with her quick reaction, he'd seem an eyeful. And it made her want to cry. So she did. It was just one more emotion to further her agenda, and as she lifted her face toward him, she begged. "My keys. I did what you said."

He stared at her lecherously, dropping a hand to rub across the front of his pants, and it was all Lucy could do not to vomit where she sat. But finally, after sitting there under his intense gaze for what felt like ages, he moved over to the box and picked it up. He froze with his hand on the box though, his beady little eyes once again considering her.

"I took off my shirt like you wanted," she sobbed, imploring him even as she shouted within her head for him to do what the hell she said. "I'm trapped in here. What could I possibly do? You hold all the cards here. Please, just one last look."

Pleased with her answer, he smirked at her, completely unconcerned with the numerous gaps in his teeth. And then...he opened the box. Inside, pristine as the last time she'd seen them were her keys, and as quick as that, twin lights burst into the room and Lucy started to laugh.

She stood to her feet with a smile on her face as Loke appeared beside Vane and Virgo came for her. Eyes wide with horror, Vane reached for his weapon, but Loke was too fast. Years of battle had honed him into a fighter fit for the gods, and that pathetic worm had nothing on him. One shot of his magic had the weapon flying, and then Loke's hand was around Vane's neck.

"You vile piece of shit! You thought you could abuse my Princess, and you wouldn't have to pay?" Loke growled, slamming the slimy bastard up against the wall.

It took only that amount of time for Virgo to relieve Lucy of her shackles and help her back into her shirt, and then she was blasting her way through the door of the cell. Lucy made her way over to Loke and his captive and felt herself smile mirthlessly at her tormentor.

"You stupid son of a bitch. I would never bow down to you. I'm a Fairy Tail mage, and we don't break that easily."

With that, she threw her fist back and smashed it into his face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all so much for being patient with us. We haven't given up on this story... we're just writing considerably slower lately. We hope you enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

CRACK!

"What was that?!" Panic clouded Lyon's voice as he looked questioningly over at his possible savior.

There was triumph in the man's expression as he said, "She did it." The tiniest of smiles was lifting the corner of his lips but it vanished in a split second.

Lyon blinked at him in confusion. "Did what? What did Lucy do? Is she ok? What is happening to her?" His voice was laced with dread. He didn't know what was going on. Just a few minutes ago he was begging this man not to allow Lucy to be left alone with that monster but then a moment later he was leading him to a foreign room and telling him to look for a key. Could this have been the man's plan? Had he told Lucy something that he himself didn't know about?

"Hurry," the man said and began tossing things around in search of the keys.

Lyon hesitated only a brief moment and then began searching as well, his body cringing every time some loud boom echoed towards them from the hall. What the hell was going on out there? It sounded like the mountain was about to crumble to pieces. Could Lucy somehow have unlocked her magic? His mind raced with a million different scenarios. Was she hurt? Did Vane do something to her? Was she fighting him?

"I found them!" the man suddenly shouted, holding the ring of keys triumphantly in the air.

Within seconds they had Lyon's wrist bands off and a surge of magic power rushed through his body like a winter storm. It had been so long, so agonizingly long since he'd felt this feeling. He flexed his fingers, testing out the feeling and then rubbed his wrists where the bracelets had been. The skin was raw and chapped there but it he'd never felt anything so wonderful in his life.

"Come on," Cain hollered, "We have no time!"

Lyon nodded his head and followed the man out of the room. It only took a few seconds for them to find the hall once again and then they were running along the etched stone corridor back towards the cell. When they got there, Lyon could hardly believe his eyes. Scattered everywhere were bodies of men moaning in pain and smack dab in the center of it all was Lucy, fighting alongside her spirits who were easily destroying their captors. She was a hell of a sight. He'd never seen anything so captivating before.

Her gaze was fierce and strong and her voice was powerfully commanding as she directed her spirits here and there, taking care of man after deplorable man with ease. She was the perfect captain and even though he knew how she must be feeling at that very moment, how her body must ache to the very core of her bones, she didn't waver even the slightest.

Although he didn't want to, he pulled his attention away just as a man began heading towards him, an axe raised high in the air. Lyon clenched his fist on instinct and called out, "Ice make-Eagle!"

At once a magnificent bird appeared, it's giant, frozen wings outstretched like brilliant sparkling icicles. It swooped down at the approaching man and knocked the weapon out of his hand then circled back and knocked him flat on his face.

A wave of almost unbearable exhaustion washed over Lyon the moment the attack was complete and he barely reached a hand out in time to steady himself on the wall. His magic power was nearly depleted. It hadn't been all that long since he'd been drained to the last drop and right now it was all he could do to keep himself upright.

"Lyon!" Lucy's voice shouted down the short space between them. She had an arm around her pink-haired spirit and they were making their way towards him. "Lyon, are you ok?" she asked.

He could see the pain she held at bay etched in the creases of her face. He wanted so badly to reach out to her, to pull her against him and fight off every bad thing that could possibly threaten this angel. But his own body was rebelling and it was only with an immense effort that he was able to stand up on his own two feet once again.

"I'm alright," he finally replied, holding back the grimace that threatened when his muscles nearly gave out on him. "Are you ok?" he asked after a few seconds had passed. "What hap…?"

"Sorry to interrupt this reunion," Loke hollered as he knocked another man flat on the ground, "but we need to go… now!"

"How do we get out of here?" Lyon asked, turning to Cain.

Cain glanced wearily at the doorway for another second and then motioned in the opposite direction. "This way," he said and then started running down the hall.

They followed him as fast as they could, Lucy leaning on Virgo while Loke helped Lyon. The door grew closer and closer but just as they got to the end a loud bang stopped them dead in their tracks.

At once they all turned and standing several dozens of yards away was Vane, a strange weapon in his hands and a repulsive leer on his face. A trail of blood dripped down the side of his face from where Lucy'd hit him earlier and a purple halo was already appearing around his neck.

Suddenly Vane pointed the strange weapon at them and a huge chunk of the ceiling slammed to the ground in front of them. Dust flew everywhere, choking them as they struggled to suck in breaths.

"Stop this!" Cain hollered, stepping out of the dust cloud and moving towards the mute man.

Vane pointed the weapon at him.

"Please, just let them go," Cain pleaded, holding his hands in the air. "You don't have to do this."

An angry sneer overcame the hunched man's face and he continued to threaten them with his weapon, waving it in the air like a sword. He shot it once again and another boulder came tumbling down from the ceiling, nearly hitting Cain as he stepped closer and closer.

"Listen, just let us go and nothing will happen to you. Raeden will never find out what you did. Just let us go."

Vane's eyes ran over the group, coming to rest on Lucy who was leaning heavily against Virgo's side. She was still coughing from the dust and Lyon took a painful step towards her, wanting to put himself between her and that horrid gaze. If only he could summon his magic just one more time. If only he could…

Suddenly Vane pointed the weapon at Lucy and before he could react, the weapon discharged.

There was a horrible moment of silence, the entire place frozen as if caught in one of his spells. No one dared move… no one dared breathe, 'till suddenly there was a morbid cough and the sound of a large body hitting the floor.

"No!" Lucy cried, her voice cracking with strain.

Lyon's mouth gaped open in shock at the sight of Cain sprawled out on the floor, his large body a mess of bloody welts and torn clothing. His chest was still rising and falling but the sound was ragged and harsh, as if each breath was sucked through a muddy filter.

Lucy was at his side within seconds, falling to her knees and grasping the sides of his face. "Cain!" she cried, "Cain!"

The man coughed and then sucked in a painful breath. "You…" he rasped, "You must go, now."

"No," Lucy sobbed, "We're not leaving you."

Loke released his hold on Lyon, leaning him up against the wall and began to attack the mute man who continued to fire shot after deadly shot in his direction.

Tears started to fall unheeded down Lucy's face and Cain smiled up at her, lifting his hand slowly to wipe her face. "You look just like her," he said, his eyes warm and distant.

Lucy took a ragged breath but remained silent as she let the man continue.

"Your hair, your eyes, your smile… even the way you laugh, it's just like her." Tears clouded his eyes but he smiled through them. "If only I could have saved her. If only I could have found her." In the background you could hear more men joining the fight and Virgo moved to Loke's side, taking care of them as he continued to pursue Vane.

"Who?" Lucy asked, leaning towards him and then cringing when a loud blast shattered the wall beside her.

Cain coughed and blood stained his lips. "Abby, my dear sister Abby. She was a mage, just like you. She was good and kind and… and…" he coughed again and suddenly his eyes turned hard and cold. "Raeden took her. He took her and hid her away. I-I couldn't find her. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find her."

He grabbed a hold of her hand and Lucy leaned in close to hear, "You have to find her. Please, you have to save her," he pleaded and his words made something constrict inside her chest.

"I will," she said, squeezing his hand. "I promise, I will find her."

Suddenly there was another loud bang and Lucy looked up to find Loke rolling over the ground. Panic and anger grew inside her in deadly force and she clenched her fists at her sides and was about to stand up when Cain tightened his grip on her hand.

"It's time," Cain said, grunting as he slowly sat up. "You must go, now!"

"What are you doing?" Lucy asked but suddenly found herself being pulled away from behind.

"Master, we have to go!" It was Virgo and she had a hold of Lucy and was tugging her away.

"No!" Lucy screamed and fought to free herself but it was too late, Cain was already to his feet and sprinting towards Vane. She watched as the weapon went off once again but then a split second later, Cain grabbed a hold of him. They fell to the floor in a heap of body parts and then the ceiling started to collapse, chunks of rock tumbling to the floor. "Cain!" she cried but it was too late, the place was falling in on itself and at the last second, Virgo yanked her through the doorway and into blinding sunlight.

* * *

><p>Blinking slowly, she stared at her surroundings, feeling an odd sense of detachment with the trees and grass. It was overwhelming, all the green, all the life. For so long now she'd been surrounded by nothing but rock and stone. The vastness of the sky was immense, so much so that she found herself staring at it wordlessly, watching the clouds drift slowly by. She hadn't forgotten what it looked like during her time in captivity, but she'd forgotten the details, forgotten how many shades of blue it actually was, forgotten how streams of light could burst through a puffy cloud and how no matter which way you looked, it was always different.<p>

"Lucy?" a quiet voice interrupted her wandering thoughts and she turned her head at the sound, confronted by crystal blue eyes that she was sure she could find somewhere in the sky. "Lucy, are you alright?"

She smiled warmly at him and felt her skin stretch from the dried salty tears. Without a word she threw her arms around him, burying her face against his neck and soaking in the warmth that only he could give her. This had been home for so long, and now they were finally free.

"Ah, guys… I think we have a problem here," Loke interrupted and Lucy backed away in time to see several men running towards them from another path.

Not a moment later, a blazing ball of fire erupted around the men, scattering them all over the path. "Natsu!" she screamed and within seconds, the bursts of fire were mixed with streams of ice and then pillars of stone.

"Gray!... Jura!" she heard Lyon holler and the next thing she remembered was seeing Wendy's beautiful smile and then nothing…

To be continued


End file.
